SILOAM SPRINGS, Ark. -- Sophomore Constantin Bauer struck from distance in the 14th minute and freshman Chriss Salinas added an insurance tally late as the No. 13 John Brown University men's soccer team opened Sooner Athletic play with a 2-0 shutout of Texas Wesleyan on Saturday afternoon (Sept. 26) at Alumni Field.
John Brown (5-1-1, 1-0-0 SAC) weathered a pair of early Ram chances before taking control, finishing with a 16-4 advantage in shots, an 8-2 edge in attempts on frame and all six corner kicks. Junior goalkeeper Juan Almanza recorded the clean sheet with help from a defensive save by freshman Ignacio Abarca as the Golden Eagles limited Texas Wesleyan to just two attempts over the final 83 minutes.
The Rams (2-4-4, 0-1-0 SAC) produced the first look less than a minute in, when Almanza handled a header from Rudy Gonzalez, before Henrique Soares sent an attempt high in the seventh.
JBU answered quickly and broke through at 13:07.
After senior Amaury Jarry helped create the opportunity, Bauer uncorked a left-footed strike from roughly 25 yards in the middle of the pitch. The shot curled inside the far-left post and into the upper corner, giving the Blue and Gold a 1-0 advantage on Bauer's fourth goal of the season.
John Brown remained on the front foot for much of the opening half, outshooting Texas Wesleyan 9-2 while forcing goalkeeper Noah Epler-McDonnell into four saves. Junior Andres Pereira and junior Daniel Bestard each put efforts on frame, while freshman Wyatt Marksberry tested Epler-McDonnell in the 43rd minute and Bauer nearly doubled the margin shortly before the intermission.
The pressure continued after halftime as the hosts earned three corner kicks in a span of less than four minutes early in the second half. Marksberry put another effort on target in the 59th as the Golden Eagles searched for separation.
Texas Wesleyan threatened twice near the midpoint of the half. Gonzalez pulled a shot wide in the 65th minute before Nestor Salazar found a look four minutes later, but Abarca cleared the attempt away for a defensive save to keep the Rams off the board.
John Brown continued to press for a second, with senior Ransford Okyere and senior Jorge Cervantes each finding shooting opportunities before the breakthrough finally arrived in the 83rd minute.
Okyere dashed up the right flank before driving a low pass into the middle for Salinas. The freshman met the service first-time from roughly 15 yards, putting spin on the finish as it dipped beneath the diving Epler-McDonnell's mitts and into the goal for Salinas' first collegiate goal.
Salinas nearly added another in the final minute, forcing Epler-McDonnell into his sixth save of the afternoon.
Okyere paced the Golden Eagles with four attempts and supplied the assist on the late insurance goal, while Marksberry finished with three shots and placed two on frame. Bauer and Salinas each converted one of their two attempts, with both putting their two shots on target.
Epler-McDonnell finished with six saves in the loss. Almanza (3-1-1) turned aside the lone shot he faced, while Abarca's defensive save helped the JBU back line preserve the clean sheet.
John Brown makes its first SAC road trip of the season Tuesday afternoon (Sept. 29), traveling to Bethany, Okla., for a 3 p.m. meeting with Southwestern Christian (Okla.) at Cagle Family Field. Fans can follow the matchup live on both the Urban Edge Network and SAC Sports Network.
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