SILOAM SPRINGS, Ark. -- Freshman Wyatt Marksberry buried his first collegiate goal in the 84th minute as the No. 13 John Brown University men's soccer team rallied late to earn a 1-1 draw with Columbia (Mo.) on Saturday evening (Sept. 19) at Alumni Field.
John Brown (4-1-1) spent much of the evening chasing the match after Columbia scored in the 16th minute, but the hosts put seven of their 10 attempts on frame and grew increasingly dangerous as the second half wore on. JBU generated seven shots after the break and produced several of its best chances during the closing 25 minutes.
The equalizer came after the Golden Eagles changed formation late in the match and began creating more pressure around the Columbia penalty area. Sophomore Constantin Bauer sent a corner into the box, where the ball caromed through traffic before Marksberry stepped onto the loose ball from roughly 15 yards and drove it through a grouping of seven defenders into the upper-right corner with 6:12 remaining to officially open his Blue and Gold account.
The Blue and Gold had started on the front foot, putting each of its first three attempts on target during the opening 12 minutes. Senior Amaury Jarry tested Columbia goalkeeper Ricardo Fischbach twice, while Marksberry nearly netted his first collegiate goal in the ninth minute before Fischbach turned him away.
The Cougars (5-1-1) weathered that early pressure and struck with their first shot of the match at 15:36. Faraj Shee set up Grant Buer, who finished his fourth goal of the season to give the visitors a 1-0 advantage.
Columbia carried the narrow lead into the interval despite John Brown owning a 3-2 edge in shots and putting all three attempts on frame.
The match opened up after the break, with the Cougars enjoying their strongest attacking spell near the hour mark. Columbia produced four shots between the 61st and 65th minutes, including a Charlie Lafata effort that junior goalkeeper Juan Almanza turned aside after the JBU defense had already produced a defensive save moments earlier.
John Brown responded with its best attacking sequence to that point.
Bauer put three consecutive attempts on frame in a span of 84 seconds between the 67th and 69th minutes, but Fischbach handled all three to keep the Cougars in front. Senior Jarry sent another effort high in the 74th as the Golden Eagles continued searching for a way through.
With time beginning to run short, JBU altered its shape and pushed more numbers forward. The adjustment gave the hosts greater attacking life and helped keep Columbia under increasing pressure in the closing stages.
That push eventually produced the corner that led to Marksberry's breakthrough at 83:48.
The freshman nearly found another in the final minute, getting a shot away at 89:02 before the Columbia defense blocked the attempt as John Brown continued pressing for a winner.
The Golden Eagles finished with a 10-8 advantage in total shots and a 7-4 edge in shots on goal. Columbia held a 5-3 advantage in corner kicks.
Marksberry, Bauer and Jarry each recorded three shots. Bauer put all three of his attempts on frame, Marksberry placed two on target and Jarry added two shots on goal.
Fischbach made six saves for the Cougars. Almanza finished with two saves and received the draw decision, moving to 2-1-1 in goal.
The Golden Eagles will return to Alumni Field on Saturday (Sept. 26), hosting Texas Wesleyan at 3:30 p.m. The contest will air live on the Urban Edge Network and the SAC Sports Network.
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