JBU men rally for victory
NORTH NEWTON, Kan. — After falling behind for the first time this season, the John Brown University men’s soccer team used two goals, including freshman Micah Herrmann’s first-career collegiate tally, in the second half to escape Thresher Stadium with a 2-1 win over Bethel (Kan.) on Tuesday afternoon.
Facing a halftime deficit after pitching a clean sheet in their first outing of the season, John Brown (2-0) rallied to out-shoot the short-handed hosts 17-0 in the final 45 minutes of play, including a pair of attempts that beat Bethel keeper Kobi Russom only to find iron.
Herrmann notched his first collegiate goal in the 65th minute after a run by fellow freshman Goncalo Verissimo up the right flank, blowing past the Thresher back line before cutting toward goal. Verissimo played a ball right to the foot of Herrmann in the middle, who one-touched a low shot past Russom, knotting the match at one apiece.
Looking for the game-winner, JBU would hit the goal frame twice over the next 20 minutes. In an afternoon where the Golden Eagles battled the turf and subsequent unpredictable bounces of the ball, finally a break in the 83rd minute was enough.
Jump-started by a long pass up the right flank by junior Amilcar Gonzalez, Verissimo again bested his defender and came in with speed all alone on Russom. With the keeper closing in, Verissimo let a shot go, that was cut off by Russom as he cut down the angle. Fortunately for the visitors, Herrmann was waiting for the loose ball at the top of the 18.
Herrmann collected the rebound, threw on the brakes, eluding a pair of Threshers, and cut into the middle before unleashing a left-footed blast that caught the inside of the right post, helping John Brown remain unbeaten on the year.
Tied in shots at the intermission at 6-6, the Golden Eagles ran away with possession in the second half, finally out-shooting the hosts 23-6 in the contest. The visitors also had a 6-2 corner kick advantage on the afternoon.
While not called upon in the second half, senior Britt Wisener made two saves on three attempts in the first half. Only Jose Rojas’ first-career goal was good enough to beat him, as the Bethel forward snuck through the JBU back line and received a 50-yard pass, quickly depositing a shot to give the hosts a 1-0 lead in the 29th minute.
Gonazlez led all players with six shots while Herrmann pumped five in Russom’s direction. Chris Torres posted two of Bethel’s six shot attempts in the contest.
The Golden Eagles were scheduled to continue their road swing on Saturday against Lyon College in Batesville. Results were not available at presstime.
JBU is set to return to action on Thursday against William Carey (Miss.) in Orange Beach, Ala. JBU also will play Keiser (Fla.) in Orange Beach on Saturday.
The JBU women’s soccer team, which was scheduled to play No. 6 Southeastern (Fla.) this past Saturday, also will make the trip to Orange Beach. JBU will play Mobile (Ala.) on Thursday and William Carey on Saturday.