SHREVEPORT, La. -- Senior Ransford Okyere scored in the 28th minute and freshman Parker Ross turned away five second-half shots as the No. 13 John Brown University men's soccer team secured its second top-25 victory in four days, blanking No. 18 LSU Shreveport (La.), 1-0, Monday afternoon (Sept. 7) at The Swamp.
The victory kept the Golden Eagles unbeaten at 4-0-0 and avenged a 2-0 home loss to the Pilots last season. It also followed Friday's 3-0 win over No. 25 Xavier (La.) in Jefferson, giving the Blue and Gold consecutive road shutouts against nationally ranked sides.
Neither squad generated much separation early, with the visitors producing two first-half shots and LSU Shreveport three.
The difference came, however, came in the 28th minute when senior Jorge Cervantes and junior Andres Pereira combined to set up Okyere, who finished the opportunity to give the Golden Eagles a 1-0 advantage.
Pereira began the play with a pass up the left flank, while Cervantes' cross found Okyere at the back post for his second goal of the season.
The complexion of the match changed after halftime as Shreveport (3-2-1) began applying sustained pressure.
The Pilots produced seven of its 10 shots in the second half and forced Ross into his first save less than three minutes after the restart. He denied Jacob Botterill at 47:37 and Jordan Mati in the 55th minute before making another stop on Pierre Ulloa in the 64th.
The visiting back line also absorbed attempts that never reached Ross, blocking shots from Sammuel Hammoum and Botterill during the second-half push.
The Golden Eagles nearly doubled the lead in the 82nd minute when senior Amaury Jarry put an attempt on target, but Hammoum made a defensive save to keep the Pilots within one.
That left Ross and the JBU defense to protect the margin through the closing minutes.
The Pilots produced two final chances in the 89th minute, but Ross stopped an attempt from Botterill and then denied Yandel Arce on the ensuing header to finish his first collegiate clean sheet.
LSUS ended the match with a 10-6 advantage in total shots and a 5-2 edge in shots on goal. The Pilots also earned six corners compared with one for John Brown.
Ross (2-0-0) made five saves over the full 90 minutes and earned the victory, while host goalkeeper Sondre Liahagen-Kolnes allowed one goal and was not credited with a save, while Hammoum accounted for the Pilots' lone defensive save.
The road doesn't get any easier for the Blue and Gold, as the Golden Eagles will return to its home ground Saturday afternoon (Sept. 11) when John Brown welcomes the nation's top side, No.1 Oklahoma Wesleyan, to Alumni Field for a 4:30 p.m. kickoff. The match will be carried live on both the SAC Sports Network and the Urban Edge Network.
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