Category: Other Sports

John Brown opens with a win

August 19, 2019

By JOHN BROWN SPORTS INFORMATION

TEXARKANA, Texas – Freshman Jacob Zamarron made his presence felt in a big way with a goal in his first collegiate start, and sophomore Micah Herrmann returned to scoring important goals with the winner just before halftime as the John Brown University men’s soccer team escape southwest Arkansas with a 2-1 win over Texas A&M – Texarkana on Monday (Aug. 19) evening at Morgan Field.

“We had a lot of pressure early and were able to capitalize on a couple of goals as a result,” said head coach Brenton Benware. “I’m proud of the guys for digging deep to pull out a win on the road and with several key players out for much of the night.”

The Golden Eagles (1-0) return to Siloam Springs having won the season-opening match now in back-to-back seasons. Last year, JBU dispatched MidAmerica Nazarene (Kan.) at Alumni Field, 1-0. The new campaign started off nearly as dramatic.

Four shots and three corner kicks peppered the opening 11 minutes of play. In the sixth, freshman Oscar Carballo’s attempt to put John Brown up 1-0 was deflected away at the goal line by a Texarkana defender, keeping the match scoreless. Carballo’s second early attempt on goal was stopped by goalkeeper Salvador Hernandez.

After a bit of a lull, the Golden Eagles broke through – a Zamarron header in the middle of the box to put away his first collegiate goal in the 27th minute. Reigning SAC Freshman of the Year Adrian Immel’sservice from the right flank was perfectly placed for Zamarron to redirect the volley on frame.

The goal seemed to build momentum for the visitors as John Brown posted three shots and a pair of corner kicks over the next eight minutes, maintaining the large portion of possession. Then, an Eagle yellow card setup JBU to capitalize on another service attempt into the box.

In the 44th minute, junior Jessie Zavala’s free-kick service from the right flank into the box towards the back post found a sliding Herrmann, who beat Hernandez from about 12 yards out, doubling the visitor’s lead. While Zavala earned his first point as a Golden Eagle, Herrmann’s strike was the seventh of his career, and would hold to stand as his third game-winner.

While the hosts out-shot John Brown 6-5 in the second half, senior keeper Britt Wisener (1-0-0) shrugged off a Texarkana goal in the 52nd minute to come up with a big save in the 55th to preserve the one-goal Golden Eagle lead.

The match became chippy in the second half as the official flashed four cautions. The John Brown defense continued to shut down the Eagle strikers as Texarkana attempted two shots in the final 10 minutes, but both were off target.

Wisener finished the match with one save to move to 1-0-0, while Hernandez took the loss for the hosts.

Carballo and Zavala led JBU with two shots on goal.

Marcelo Mendes, Matej Urbanija, and Dalton Georgopulos joined Zamarron, Carballo and Zavala in making their respective collegiate debuts in the Blue and Gold.

John Brown returns to action on Friday (Aug. 23) in its home opener as the Golden Eagles welcome Lyon College to Alumni Field for a 7 p.m. kickoff.

John Brown handles Lyon

August 23, 2019

By JOHN BROWN SPORTS INFORMATION

SILOAM SPRINGS – Sophomore Goncalo Verissimo tallied a hat trick and freshman Jacob Zamarron followed up an impressive collegiate debut with a five-point performance as the John Brown University men’s soccer squad plastered seven goals in its Alumni Field debut in a 7-1 win over Lyon College on Friday (Aug. 23) evening.

Freshman Oscar Carballo opened the scoring in the 12th minute while sophomore Adrian Immel tallied a goal with just 40 seconds left in the contest as the duo each enjoyed securing their respective first collegiate goals. In between the bookending strikes was Verissimo’s second-half hat trick that powered the Golden Eagles (2-0-0) to five goals in the final 12 minutes of play.

Carballo’s strike early to the far right side of the goal was followed up by Zamarron’s singular effort that saw the freshman lose a Scot (0-2-0) defender in dramatic fashion deep in the left corner. With the defender horizontal on the pitch, Zamarron took a few strides towards goal and unloaded a shot to the far right side over Lyon keeper Gianni Santin to double the hosts’ advantage.

The 2-0 difference held until the break, but the Scots pulled within one in the 61st minute when an errant defensive play allowed Nate Ayalew to break in on senior Britt Wisener undefended off a pass from Vitor Fujiwara. Ayalew’s strike, his first of the year, halved the hosts’ lead with just under 30 minutes left to play.

Although the Golden Eagles carried possession for the majority of the match, it wasn’t until Verissimo’s first goal in the 79th minute did the floodgates open. Senior Amilcar Gonzalez’s service off a set piece from the left side found the head of Verissimo charging the box to hand the sophomore his first of the season. Just over a minute later, he doubled his output by finishing off a passing play that started from sophomore Micah Herrmann in the midfield. His pass found Zamarron up top who took possession into the box before dumping it over to Verissimo for the finish.

Gonzalez added a goal of his own less than a minute later. Then, less than another minute later, Verissimo finished off the three-goal outing in a mere 3:10 span with the strike of the night.

Zamarron again fed Verissimo in the middle, but Verissimo this time pocketed the strike into the upper right 90 of the goal to push the JBU lead to 6-1.

The goal bonanza didn’t stop there, however, as Immel intercepted an errant Santin clearance in the midfield before chipping the keeper from nearly midfield with just 40 seconds left in the match.

Wisener made one save before making way for freshman Logan Campbell who made his collegiate debut. Logan finished the final 6:21 of the match.

In the physical matchup, John Brown finished the evening out-shooting the guests by a 20-8 margin, while the visitors racked up 21 fouls and five cautions.

JBU returns to action on Friday (Aug. 30) evening at Alumni Field. The Golden Eagles will welcome Bethel (Kan.) to Siloam Springs as part of the annual First Friday Fútbol festivities.

John Brown athletes sweep SAC soccer honors

Photos and graphic by John Brown University

August 26, 2019

By JOHN BROWN SPORTS INFORMATION

SILOAM SPRINGS – Freshman Jacob Zamarron and senior Britt Wisener were selected as the SAC’s first Offensive and Defensive Players of the Week, respectively, the league office announced on Monday (Aug. 26) for their performances against Texas A&M – Texarkana and Lyon.

The selection was the first for Zamarron, who posted seven points in his first two collegiate outings. Meanwhile, the honor is the second in the career of Wisener, who backstopped the Golden Eagles (2-0-0) to a pair of victories.

John Brown picked up a tough 2-1 road win at Texarkana (0-1-0) to open the season. Zamarron tallied in his collegiate debut – a header in the box off a service from sophomore Adrian Immel. The goal was instrumental in building the lead for JBU as the visitors would hold on for the narrow victory.

Wisner needed to make just one save in the match against Texarkana.

Back at Alumni Field last weekend against the Scots (0-2-0), the Rogers native wasted little time in finding the scoresheet as he booted home a strike from just inside the left corner of the box, lofting a shot over the Scot keeper. While his goal would hold up as the game-winner, he later distributed a trio of primary assists in the second half, including twice in sophomore Goncalo Verissimo hat trick effort to lead the Golden Eagles to a 7-1 lopsided win over the Scots in the home opener.

Wisener, from Houston, Texas, gobbled up a pair of saves in the victory, moving to 12-8-1 all-time in his collegiate career.

Currently, Zamarron is tied for 10th in the nation with his seven-point outburst over the two-match stretch.

Up Next
The Golden Eagles welcome Bethel (Kan.) to Alumni Field on Friday (Aug. 30) for a 6:30 p.m. kick off. The match will be part of the university’s annual First Friday Fùtbol celebration.

John Brown defeats Bethel, 2-0

August 30, 2019

By JOHN BROWN SPORTS INFORMATION

SILOAM SPRINGS – After redshirting last season and missing the first two matches of 2019, senior striker Kelvin Omondi returned in determined fashion as he scored the game-winner, powering the John Brown University men’s soccer team past Bethel (Kan.), 2-0, on Friday (Aug. 30) evening at Alumni Field.

The match was never in doubt, as the Golden Eagles (3-0-0) continued to ask questions of the Bethel defense and keeper Albert Bratthammar all night long.

Bratthammar recorded nine saves in the first half, including point-blank chances on rebounds that could have given the hosts a lopsided advantage at the bathroom break. JBU out-shot the Threshers (0-2-0) by a 13-1 margin over the first 45 minutes of play.

Finally, shortly after the intermission in the 48th minute, Omondi’s much-anticipated return culminated in a dramatic rush up the field that saw the former Sooner Athletic Player of the Year pot his first goal since Oct. 24, 2017.

Freshman Jacob Zamarron kept the ball in play up the right sidelines and fed freshman Dalton Georgopulos up the field – allowing Georgopulos to flick a pass across the 18 to Omondi on the left wing. In typical fashion, Omondi danced around his defender and delivered a shot to the short side, breaking Bratthammar’s shutout bid and handing John Brown a 1-0 advantage.

Freshman Oscar Carballo nearly netted his second of the season in the 55th off a corner kick, but the Thresher defense was somehow able to keep the header off the goal line to maintain the slim 1-0 score.

En route to posting 15 shot attempts in the second half as a team, Zamarron again struck for his third goal in as many games in the 73rd. Sophomore Jack Bos earned his first collegiate point when his boot into space sprung loose Zamarron past his defender and in on Bratthammar all alone. As the Bethel keeper came out to challenge, Zamarron chipped a lovely ball over the leaping keeper and to the far left post and in – giving John Brown the insurance goal it was seeking.

Despite essentially no offense to speak of to help relieve him of pressure, Bratthammar continued to answer the call and keep the visitors competitive through the second half. The Golden Eagles also missed a few glorious chances, however, none bigger than junior Samuel Estrada’s effort to dance through the back line and deposit a shot to the far right post that just missed wide.

Senior Britt Wisener collected a pair of saves to post the squad’s first clean sheet of the season. Bos, sophomore Adrian Immel, freshman Matej Urbanija and junior Marcelo Mendes all turned in a full 90 minutes and limited Bethel to just four shot attempts.

Bratthammar finished the match with 13 saves, but was dinged with the loss despite the Herculean effort.

Up Next
The Golden Eagles will take an eight-day break before returning to Alumni Field to welcome No. 20 Columbia for a 5 p.m. kickoff on Saturday (Sept. 7).

Little Rock drops Arkansas Classic finale

August 31, 2019

By UALR SPORTS INFORMATION

FAYETTEVILLE –Carol Barbosa and Amna Osmankovic each posted seven kills, Barbosa was named to the All-Tournament Team and a match featuring 11 ties and five lead changes didn’t fall Little Rock’s way in the Arkansas Classic finale against Northwestern State, 3-0.

Set scores were 25-20, 25-17 and 25-17.

Northwestern State 3, Little Rock 0 | 25-20, 25-17, 25-17 | Box Score | PDF 

Behind the Box Score

  • The first set featured 10 ties and four lead changes. Little Rock had two aces in the set to NSU’s none.
  • Nathalia Vigineski served up an ace to start the second set. It was the second ace of the match for her and the second of her collegiate career.
    • Five different Trojans served up an ace over the weekend.
  • Carol Barbosa and Amna Osmankovic each posted three kills in the second set.
  • Anna Hurlburt was strong at the net in the third set with two block assists. That came in the middle of a 4-0 run that pulled the Trojans within one point.
  • Northwestern State was led by Hannah Brister (16 kills) and Reagan Lee (.636 pct.)

Leaders by the Numbers

Notables

  • Carol Barbosa was named to the Arkansas Classic All-Tournament Team after recording 20 kills, 11 digs and five blocks over the weekend’s action.
  • Nathalia Vigineski recorded her first two career service aces in the match.
  • Amna Osmankovic’s seven kills and two service aces marked weekend highs for the true freshman.
  • Anna Hurlburt recorded two block assists in the match, both of which came in the third set.
  • Little Rock still leads the all-time series over Northwestern State, 5-1.

Up Next
Little Rock travels to Tulsa, Oklahoma, next weekend to compete against Air Force, Illinois State and host Oral Roberts in the ORU Classic.

Little Rock finishes 7th at Memphis meet

August 31, 2019

By LITTLE ROCK SPORTS INFORMATION

MEMPHIS, Tenn. – Little Rock Director of Track & Field/Cross Country J.P. Behnke set out to bring in a strong recruiting class. That new talent was on display at the season-opening Memphis Twiglight Classic with underclassmen posting top three men’s finishes and two fo the top three women’s finishes.

In all, the Trojan men finished seventh with all five scorers posting top-50 marks while the women placed ninth.

Sophomore Carter Reynolds paced the men with an 18th place finish, running the four-mile race in 21:07.45, while freshman Colby Swecker’s time of 21:24.22 placed him 25th. Sophomore Ricardo Banks ran 21:36.02 to finish 35th as three underclassmen led the Trojan men.

Junior Jarred O’Conner posted a time of 21:54.24 to finish 43rd while senior Emilio Medina ran 22:07.88 to round out the scoring five for Little Rock and bringing an upperclassmen presence to the top five.

On the women’s side, junior Vianney Sanchez posted a 5k time of 19:48.14 to place 52nd and lead the women before two freshmen made their mark. Rookie Ariana Garcia ran 19:57.55 to finish 58th and she was closely followed by Jordan Edwards’ time of 19:57.79 for a 59th place finish.

Senior Hunter Paul finished 72nd with a time of 20:29.79 and freshman Amanda Gordon rounded out the scoring five with a mark of 21:29.79, placing 88th.

Little Rock will head up the road to Conway for the UCA Cross Country Challenge on Saturday, Sept. 7.

Little Rock falls to Missouri State

September 1, 2019

By UALR SPORTS INFORMATION

LITTLE ROCK – The Little Rock soccer team (1-3-1) fought hard at home against a quick Missouri State team, falling 2-1 after a strong attempt at equalizing the match. Doro Greulich scored her first goal of the season in the first appearance of her senior campaign, soaring a well-placed shot into the net after being awarded a free kick right outside the box.

Missouri State started off the game with the control, earning a goal in the 11th minute. However, the Trojans were right in the midst of the action, creating several opportunities of their own, ultimately being stopped by an agile Bear goalie. MSU struck again at the 83rd minute following a well-executed cross, but Little Rock refused give up and earned a goal of their own soon after.

“I think we’re actually playing some really good soccer,” said head coach Mark Foster. “I know we’re not getting the results that reflect that, but that’s the reality of college sports. We’re just a little short, even though some of our girls played their best game of the season. If we stay positive, I think we’re going to learn the lessons and figure it out soon.”

Little Rock looked lively, despite competing in the third game within the past five days. The Trojans registered 9 shots to the Bears’ 8, with five on goal by five different players. Along with Greulich’s, Bergros Asgeirsdottir, Fanney Einarsdottir, Mari Young, and Ziva Payer each notched on-target shots. Little Rock also managed to earn 11 free kicks compared to Missouri State’s three, helping the offensive action.

The Trojans will take the next couple of days to regroup before the team travels to Texas on Thursday, Sept. 5, to take on TCU at 7 p.m.

Bears fall to in-state foe

September 1, 2019

By UCA SPORTS INFORMATION

CONWAY –  It was a rough afternoon in Jonesboro for the Central Arkansas women’s soccer team as a rocky start to the match left themselves with a small chance of recovery. The Bears traveled to Jonesboro to take on Arkansas State, a team that came into the match coming off a huge victory against Big 12 Conference affiliate Kansas State. 

Central Arkansas (0-3), found themselves down two goals less than five minutes into the match, conceding a goal in the second minute and another in the third. However, the Bears responded to adversity and got a goal back in the 23rd minute before ultimately conceding a third goal late as more numbers were thrown forward in an attempt to equalize.

First Half

  • Arkansas State’s Abigail Glockzin gave the Red Wolves an early 1-0 advantage inside of two minutes into the match.
  • Arkansas State doubled their lead in the third minute on a goal from Sarah Sodoma.
  • The Red Wolves nearly grabbed a third in the 20th minute, however UCA keeper Reagan McCombs was up to the task and recorded her first save of the afternoon.
  • Central Arkansas cut the deficit in half in the 23rd minute courtesy of a Gracie Hair goal, her first of the season.
  • The Bears would nearly equalize five minutes later on a Emma Hawkins strike that flew just wide right of the net. 

Second Half

  • The Bears continued to threaten in the second half in search for the equalizing goal and nearly grabbed it in the 53rd minute on a Jordan Slim strike that forced a corner kick. 
  • Hawkins again nearly tied it up for Central Arkansas in the 67th minute as she saw her strike fly just high of the net. 
  • A corner kick opportunity in the 80th minute nearly saw the Red Wolves grab their two goal advantage again as ASU’s Haley Husted was denied by goalkeeper Elizabeth Lewis just in front of goal. 
  • ASU would score the final goal of the match in the 84th minute as the Bears many numbers forward in a final attempt to grab an equalizer.

Central Arkansas finished the match with eight total shots, and only one on frame. Goalkeepers McCombs and Lewis each saw a half of action recording two saves apiece. 

Coach Bishop Quotes

“Today was similar to Friday in that we gave away a couple of scoring chances early in the match and our opponent took full advantage, but we settled in after that and controlled most of the play. Today, we didn’t create enough scoring chances to get ourselves fully back into the game. We have to be sharper in the final third so we can get more looks at goal. It’s a process. We have to keep working and I know this group will.”

Up Next

The Bears are back in action this Friday, September, 6 as they travel to Stillwater to take on Oklahoma State. Kickoff is scheduled for 7 p.m.

UCA, Campbell draw Even after 110 minutes

September 1, 2019

By UCA SPORTS INFORMATION

CONWAY – Few chances created saw Central Arkansas hang on for a 1-1 draw after 110 minutes of play tonight in an ultimate dogfight from the Bill Stephens Complex in Conway. 

Central Arkansas took an early 1-0 advantage in the first ten minutes of the match, but were unable to create many more chances following the goal. Campbell found an equalizer in the second half and would create a few more quality scoring chances, but neither team was unable to find a late winner. 

First Half

  • Central Arkansas took an early 1-0 lead in the tenth minute after capitalizing on a set piece. Soren Jensen converted a header flicked on by Mathias Bendiksen and just got it over the goal line in what was a goal by a matter of inches. 
  • UCA’s Katsuyoshi Kimishima had a chance to double the Bears’ lead in the 30th minute, but saw his shot fly wide right. 
  • Marc Olsen came up big for the Bears in the final moments of the first half, denying the Camels an equalizer in the 44th minute, recording his first of four saves on the evening. 

Second Half

  • The second half saw little action until the 64th minute, where Campbell finally found an equalizing goal on a Thibaut Jacquel free kick strike from 25 yards out. 
  • The Camels would continue to apply pressure and nearly grabbed the lead in the 74th minute, but again Olsen was up to the task denying Aigbekan Nosegbe the go-ahead on a near post strike.  
  • Olsen denied the Ramblers a late winner in the 87th minute, diving down to his left side and pushing the ball out for a corner on a hard hit strike by Humberto Chavez. Chavez’s attempt would be the final opportunity created in regulation. 

Extra Time

  • UCA’s Nate Lancaster came to the rescue for the Bears in the 95th minute on a fantastic goal line clearance, denying the Camels a golden goal winner. 
  • The Camel’s were again denied a winner by Olsen in the 97th minute, recording his third save of the night. 
  • Campbell created the final opportunity of the match in the 107th minute as Alex Egeonu’s strike down the middle forced yet another save from Olsen. 

Central Arkansas finished the match with just six total shots and only one on frame compared to Campbell’s 18 total shots and five on target

Ross Duncan Quotes

“We escaped without losing and I think that’s the positive we got out of tonight. We had some brave performances defensively, but we’re not going to be able to play like that and have the season we want to have. It was disappointing to have the performance that we did because we were ready, but we just couldn’t put it together. Credit to Campbell. They put us under a ton of pressure and they played really well.” 

Up Next

The Bears get a six day break before being in action again as they host Incarnate Word Saturday, September 7. Kickoff is scheduled for 7 p.m.

Red Wolves sweep Belmont

August 31, 2019

By ASU SPORTS INFORMATION

NASHVILLE, Tenn. – Peyton Uhlenhake’s dynamic opening weekend continued on Saturday afternoon, as her career-best day vaulted the Arkansas State volleyball team to a 3-0 sweep at Belmont to conclude the Bruiser Showcase.

The junior from Overland Park, Kansas, notched a career-high 18 kills on the day, which led all players in the match. She hit .353, while adding 3 service aces and 9 digs to her credit. Additionally, Uhlenhake and Macey Putt earned All-Tournament team honors.

Set 1 – A-State 25-19
The opening set was back-and-forth, as neither team led by more than three points to open up the match. The lead changed six times, until A-State moved ahead 19-18 on a Macey Putt kill. From there, the Red Wolves only surrendered one point to take an early 1-0 lead in the match.

Uhlenhake led the way with 6 kills, while Putt added four in the set. Malgorzata Andersohn dished out 7 assists to lead the Red Wolves’ attack.

Set 2 – A-State 25-22
In the second, A-State opened with a 3-1 lead, but the Bruins surged back to lead by as much as 6 points. The Red Wolves clawed back, winning 10 of the next 14 points to tie up the frame at 19 apiece after Kendahl Davenport and Timber Terrell teamed up on a double-block. After Belmont claimed the next two points, the Scarlet and Black took full control, taking six of the next seven points to take a tight set 2.

Timber Terrell capped off the set with a kill – her fourth in the set. Uhlenhake led the Red Wolves with 5 kills, while Madison Brown added 3. Julianna Cramer also tallied 8 assists.

Set 3 – A-State 25-17
Looking to put the match away quickly, the Red Wolves surged out of the break, taking an early 6-1 advantage that the Bruins would not be able to overcome. A 4-0 run with kills by Josie Stanford, Peyton Uhlenhake and Madison Brown warranted a Bruins timeout as A-State led 11-4. Sides traded points back and forth until the Red Wolves led 21-16, which was when they claimed five of the final six points, capped off by a Timber Terrell kill.

Uhlenhake led A-State’s attack with 7 kills.

Quick Hitters

  – Arkansas State broke a two-match skid against Belmont and improved to 7-2 in the series.

  – A-State’s sweep against North Alabama and Belmont marked its first back-to-back sweeps since it occurred Oct. 27 (at Georgia Southern) and Oct. 30 (at Little Rock).

  – Dating back to 2018, Arkansas State is 10-3 when holding opponents to an attack percentage of under .200.

  – When claiming the first two sets, the Red Wolves are a perfect 29-0 dating back to 2017.

  – Both of A-State’s setters notched 20 or more assists, with Julianna Cramer recording 21 and Malgorzata Andersohn adding 20.

  – Hannah Cox’s 25 digs were the most by a Red Wolf since Tatum Ticknor’s 33 against South Alabama on Nov. 15, 2018.

Next Up

The Red Wolves will hit the road once again next weekend, heading south to Hattiesburg, Mississippi, for the Southern Miss Volleyball Classic. There, A-State will face the host Golden Eagles (Friday, 6 p.m.), Mississippi State (Saturday, 10 a.m.) and New Orleans (Saturday, 5 p.m.) before returning home for the annual A-State Invitational (Sept. 12-14) at First National Bank Arena.