SILOAM SPRINGS, Ark. -- Senior Marco Brizuela scored twice and junior Andres Pereira added a goal and an assist as the No. 19 John Brown University men's soccer team dispatched Oklahoma Panhandle State, 4-0, in the Sooner Athletic tournament quarterfinals Wednesday evening (Nov. 4) at Alumni Field.
John Brown (11-4-1) weathered a scoreless opening 35 minutes before scoring twice before halftime, then needed just 55 seconds to add two more around the hour mark. The Golden Eagles limited the Aggies to one shot on goal while turning four of their five attempts on frame into goals.
The victory avenged JBU's 1-0 regular-season loss at OPSU on Oct. 23, the Golden Eagles' only defeat in the all-time series. John Brown improved to 7-1-1 against the Aggies and advanced to the SAC semifinals as the tournament's No. 2 seed.
Pereira broke the deadlock in the 36th minute after JBU forced a turnover. Brizuela played ahead to senior Gabriel Cabrera, whose one-touch pass released Pereira into space. From roughly 30 yards, Pereira chipped goalkeeper Mateja Stefanovic, floating his finish beneath the crossbar and inside the far-right post for his first goal of the season.
The Golden Eagles doubled the margin moments before the first half whistle. After taking a pass from freshman Hodei Artetxe, Brizuela ripped an effort from 40 yards that skipped off the wet grass, hopped over Stefanovic and settled into the bottom-left corner for his fourth goal of the year.
The host side carried the 2-0 advantage into halftime before breaking the match open shortly after the restart.
On the counter in the 59th minute, Pereira raced up the right side and sent a long cross back toward the middle. An OPSU defender slipped while trying to handle the service, allowing sophomore Constantin Bauer to collect the loose ball and go one-on-one with Stefanovic. Unmarked, Bauer finished from 14 yards into the bottom-right corner for his team-leading seventh goal of the season.
Just 55 seconds later, Bauer was involved again. Stefanovic took out the sophomore's legs inside the penalty area, and Brizuela stepped to the spot and converted the ensuing penalty for his second of the night and fifth goal of the campaign.
Panhandle State (7-10-0) generated five second-half corner kicks while trying to respond, but never found a way through the JBU back line. Its lone shot on frame came in the 63rd minute, when Pablo Benavides' header was cleared away by a defensive save.
John Brown finished with a 12-9 advantage in shots and put five attempts on goal compared with one for OPSU. The sides each earned five corner kicks.
Brizuela finished with two goals and an assist on two shots, while Pereira supplied a goal and an assist on his only attempt. Bauer scored on his lone shot of the night.
Junior goalkeeper Juan Almanza (9-4-1) collected his sixth clean sheet of the season without needing to make a save, as the Golden Eagle back line handled OPSU's only on-target effort.
Second-seeded John Brown remains at Alumni Field for Saturday's (Nov. 7) semifinal round against third-seeded Texas Wesleyan. Kickoff is scheduled for 7 p.m., with the SAC Sports Network carrying the match live.
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