JOHN BROWN UNIVERSITY SOCCER ROUNDUP
From JBU Sports Information Columbia (Mo.) 2, JBU men 1
In what started off like a dream for the John Brown University men’s soccer program ended in difficult fashion as No. 20 Columbia (Mo.) erased a 1-0 halftime deficit and posted a pair of second-half goals to hand the Golden Eagles a 2-1 setback on Saturday at Alumni Field.
Off the opening kickoff, sophomore Jack Bos booted a ball deep into Columbia territory that was corralled by freshman Jacob Zamarron. The striker laid a pass back to the top of the 18 that freshman Oscar Carballo stepped into, ripping a shot to the top right corner just 14 seconds into the match.
The Golden Eagles (3-1-0) outshot Columbia 8-5 in the opening half and looked to lock down defensively to carry an undefeated record on its Kentucky road trip next week, but the Cougars mounted their comeback.
Columbia’s Nick Brandt leveled the match at one apiece in the 77th minute when a Charles Norman throw-in from the right flank was flicked into the box by Nathan Durdle. Brandt’s 6-yard shot to left pocket of the goal knotted the score.
Then disaster struck in the form of a hand ball inside the box. Brandt’s attempt to stuff home a cross just two yards from goal was deflected off a Golden Eagle defender’s hand before the shot hit the crossbar. The center official awarded a penalty kick — taken by Casey Bartlett-Scott with just two minutes remaining.
Bartlett-Scott struck to the right of senior Britt Wisener — sending the Cougars back to Missouri with a win.
Zamarron and Carballo paced the Golden Eagle attack with four shots each, while junior Jessie Zavala added a pair of attempts.
Wisener was dinged with his first loss of the season, despite making a pair of saves. Harrisskitt saved the remaining four JBU shots to grab the win and keep the Cougars (4-0-0).
The Golden Eagles will travel to Columbia, Ky., to play a strong Lindsey Wilson side on Thursday at 2 p.m. JBU will complete the road trip in Midway, Ky., against Midway on Friday at 3:30 p.m.
JBU women 1, Columbia (Mo.) 0
As overtime loomed with certainty, junior Sienna Nealon returned to her ways of scoring big-time goals as her tally deep in the second half propelled the No. 13 John Brown University women’s soccer team to a 1-0 win over Columbia (Mo.) on Saturday at Alumni Field.
After the teams combined for just five shot attempts in the first half, the Golden Eagles (3-1) opened up the second half by launching 10 shot attempts toward Columbia keeper Victoria Heus. Finally, Nealon buried her first of the season and ninth career game-winner.
Off a failed Cougar (3-2) defensive clear, freshman Aubrey Mendez dumped a pass to senior Kristen Howell on the right wing. Howell sent in a long cross that skimmed the head of a Columbia defender and continued toward the back post. Nealon knocked in the gamewinner with just more than 20 minutes left in the match.
JBU nearly doubled its advantage just three minutes later when sophomore Megan Hutto unleashed an uncontested shot from 12 yards, but Heus made a save to her left, just before Howell’s attempt at the rebound was also blocked to preserve the one-goal contest.
Columbia managed just one more shot attempt in the final 17 minutes.
The John Brown back line comprised of Mendez, senior Sarah Hughes, sophomore Meghan Kennedy, junior Emily Jordan and freshman Emma Schoenberg kept Columbia’s Molly Klein and Kelsey Mirts off balance. Mirts, coming off a five-goal performance against Ottawa (Kan.), was limited to one shot attempt while Klein posted four. The pair combined for just one shot on goal.
Mendez, Hughes and Kennedy each logged the full 90, helping junior Caitlyn Logan collect her third clean sheet of the season. Logan needed just one save — 15 seconds into the second half, when she blocked a Klein attempt on goal.
Howell led all players with six shot attempts, while Nealon followed with three.
The Golden Eagles will depart for Columbia, Ky., where they will face Martin Methodist (Tenn.) on Thursday at 5 p.m. before tangling with Lindsey Wilson (Ky.) on Saturday.