John Brown University Archives

John Brown opens season with close losses

August 14, 2019

FULLERTON, Calif. – The John Brown University volleyball team opened the 2019 campaign with a pair of setbacks, falling in straight sets to Montana Tech and No. 15 The Master’s (Calif.) inside the Darling Pavilion on the first day of the Hope International (Calif.) Summer Slam on Wednesday (Aug. 14).

Senior Carly McKinney appeared in her first outing since 2017, and contributed a team-best 15 digs on the defensive end, adding onto a five-kill, two-ace effort. Senior and returning All-SAC first teamer Jessica Schultz posted a team-best eight terminations and hit .462 (7-1-13) on the match. She also threw up four block-assists.

Sophomore Jenna Lowery, reigning SAC Freshman of the Year, added 14 scoops on the back row, while both Golden Eagle setters, sophomore Carrie Ciesla and freshman Lauren Cloud, each nearly missed a double-double in the first match of the season. Ciesla finished the match with 14 assists and nine digs, while Cloud added 10 helpers and nine scoops in her collegiate debut.

Both squads struggled to find the offense early, but John Brown (0-2) persisted out to a set-high three-point advantage, 15-12. The Orediggers (1-0) responded, however, and rattled off amd 9-4 run to take its first lead at 21-19 lead. Coming out of a JBU timeout, Montana Tech captured three of the next four points to close out the first set, 25-22.

The second set featured a back-and-forth affair that included back-to-back aces from freshman Jillian Blackman the vaulted the Golden Eagles into a 13-9 advantage. That would vanish, however, as Tech responded to take a 14-13 lead. The streak would finally break at 7-1 over eight rallies when an Oredigger service error and a Jaden Williams rejection knotted the score at 16 apiece. Facing a 21-17 hole, Ciesla served JBU back into contention with an ace and a Beck-Schultz block that again tied the score, this time at 21. However, an attack error and reception error fueled Montana Tech’s final run to a 25-22 win and a commanding 2-0 lead in the match.

The third and final set was never in doubt as the Orediggers came out with a 11-4 lead to capture the final set running away, 25-15. Tech posted its match-high .333 attack clip (13-1-36) in the last set.

The John Brown hitting finished the contest at .060 (30-23-117), while the Orediggers, carried by its strong third set, ended the match at .155 (30-13-110).

Later in the evening, the Golden Eagles hit the court again to take on No. 15 The Master’s (Calif.). The Mustangs (1-1) came out swinging, hitting over .300 in two of the three sets.

Freshman Ellie Lampton provided a bright spot from the service line as the Siloam Springs native launched four aces, a game high, as Schultz again led the offensive effort, posting a team-best eight kills. Williams turned in an especially strong effort, terminating seven attacks without committing an error to finish the match .438 (7-0-16).

The Golden Eagle attack continued to struggle, hitting just .094 (33-20-138), while The Master’s responded with a .277 (48-12-130) effort.

Ciesla passed out 14 helpers while freshman Morgan Fincham added nine in her collegiate debut. Junior Taylor Glover scooped up 13 attack attempts in the loss.

Back-to-back kills from Glover and Schultz kept JBU in the first set to push the score to 10-9 in favor of the Mustangs. A 6-0 run from TMU placed the Golden Eagles back into a deficit until a Beck kill and a Cloud ace brough John Brown to within four, 19-15. The Mustangs again ended the JBU response quickly, ending the first set on a 6-1 run to close out the set, 25-16.

Nine ties highlighted the back-and-forth second-set battle between the two teams. Tied at 17 apiece after neither team had more than a two-point lead the entire set, the Mustangs ripped off four consecutive points before John Brown responded with back-to-back Lampton aces to pull within one, 21-20. The Golden Eagles wouldn’t get any closer, with TMU finishing off the 25-20 win.

The Golden Eagles continued its hunt for a set victory by keeping close with the Mustangs for yet another nine ties throughout the third. Down 11-9, Lampton and Lowery served John Brown into an 18-13 lead before The Master’s could respond, highlighted by kills from McKinney, Williams and Fincham. Again, the rally would end there, as the Mustangs responded late with an 8-6 run to retake the lead, 21-19. A Williams terminations continued the match, tying the score at 25 apiece, but back-to-back Mustang kills completed the final set, 27-25, and the match.

John Brown returns to action tomorrow (Aug. 15) when the Golden Eagles take on Evergreen State (Wash.) and California – Merced at 10 a.m. and 4 p.m., respectively. JBU will then return home to Siloam Springs before continuing the season in Kansas on Aug. 23-24.

John Brown evens record in California

August 15, 2019

By JOHN BROWN SPORTS INFORMATION

FULLERTON, Calif. – Behind a 14-kill effort from senior Jessica Schultz in the first match of the day against Evergreen State (Wash.) and a strong defensive team effort against California, Merced, the John Brown University volleyball team evened its record to 2-2 on the young season on Thursday (Aug. 15) inside the Darling Pavilion.

JBU dispatched Evergreen State in five (25-16, 25-21, 18-25, 22-25, 15-12) before sweeping past California, Merced (25-13, 26-24, 25-21).

“Our trip out to California provided our team with the opportunity to play some really high-caliber teams at the HIU Summer Slam tournament,” head coach Ken Carver said. “While we definitely struggled with the consistency of our execution on the first day of the tournament, I was really pleased with our team’s ability to re-focus and come out ready to play on the second day of the tournament. The first sets of both of our matches on the second day of the tournament provided our team and our fans a glimpse of what our team is capable of doing in terms of our offensive potential and serving aggressiveness.

“With only eight days to prepare for this tournament, I knew that we stood a good chance of being inconsistent offensively as we’re still very much developing the chemistry between all of our hitters and setters as well as the meshing of our new players with the core group of returning players. Whereas on the first day we struggled to close out sets and breakdown mentally when not playing well, our team showed a lot more grit and poise today when our opponents pushed runs of points. We did a much better job of letting go of our mistakes and working to play the next ball. I was also really pleased with the team’s overall performance from the service line and our service reception. I think those two areas were where our team performed the best. We had moments of playing really stellar defense, but need to keep working on our defensive discipline as well as bettering our blocking performance.

“All in all, to come away from this very competitive tournament experience, on such short amount of preparation time, I am very pleased with where our team is starting out at. With another week of practice ahead of our second weekend tournament, I am expecting to continue ironing out the kinks and finding a more consistent rhythm with our team that will hopefully lead to an even better result on the court our second week out.”

Against Evergreen State, Schultz led the way with an impressive hitting performance, collecting 14 kills and hit .619 (14-1-21) to lead all attackers in the contest. She also contributed four block assists. Senior Carly McKinney and junior Taylor Glover each posted their first double-digit termination match of the season, as the duo combined for 10 kills apiece. McKinney completed her first double-double of the season by leading all players with 26 digs.

Sophomore Carrie Ciesla notched a career high with 29 assists on John Brown’s 52 kills on the match.

The Golden Eagles (2-2) dominated from the service line, launching 10 aces on Evergreen. McKinney had four, while freshmen Ellie Lampton and Lauren Cloud added three and two, respectively.

John Brown never trailed in the first set – running out to a 17-9 lead courtesy of a difficult Geoduck outing offensively as ESC posted a .051 (9-7-39) mark in the opening game. JBU replied with a .278 clip (13-3-36), its best single-set outing of the 2019 season so far.

Again, the Blue and Gold never trailed in the second set, but this wasn’t without drama. Back-to-back Schultz terminations was followed by a pair of Lampton aces to hand the Golden Eagles a 15-8 advantage. Later, with a 19-10 lead, JBU had to battle through a 11-3 Evergreen run that pulled the Geoducks within one, 22-21. Junior Jaden Williams and senior Kinzee Mayo combined on a block to end the ESC rally in its tracks, as another Geoduck attack error followed by a Mayo-Schultz rejection ended the set in favor of the Golden Eagles.

Sets three and four featured tight battles that saw Evergreen pull off mid-to-late set rallies – knotting the score at two apiece and forcing a fifth and deciding game.

Three early ties in the fifth set was finally broken by terminations from McKinney and Williams, and punctuated by a Lauren Cloud ace that gave JBU a 6-3 lead. ESC would pull within one, but a string of unforced errors allowed the Golden Eagles to retain an 11-7 lead. The Geoducks replied with a 5-1 rally to tie the match as 12, but Schultz’s kill followed by a pair of Evergreen attack errors ended any chance of a rally.

JBU finished the match hitting .119 (52-29-193), but kept Evergreen at bay, holding the Geoducks to a mere .109 (53-33-187).

The second match of the day was far less dramatic as the Merced attack, .023 (34-31-130), only had enough gas to give the Golden Eagles one close set.

A balanced attack for John Brown featured eight kills from Mayo, a second high, and seven from senior Megan Beck. However, it was the JBU defensive effort that solidified the win.

McKinney scooped up another 20-dig effort, while Schultz and Mayo led the way with four blocks apiece as John Brown posted 14 block-assists to hold the Bobcats in check. Williams also contributed three rejections in the win.

Cloud and McKinney each served up three aces as the Golden Eagles finished the tournament with 31 aces, averaging just shy of eight per match.

In the first set, John Brown blew open a narrow 11-9 lead to take a 20-12 advantage, courtesy of a Cloud ace. Three consecutive Merced attack miscues fueled the Golden Eagle run to clinching the first set. JBU finished the set on a 14-4 rally.

A 7-1 John Brown rally to open the second forced a quick Bobcat timeout, and before Merced could rally, the Golden Eagles had built a 10-2 lead. Miscues allowed Merced to build some momentum, however, and three straight Bobcat kills that tied the match at 20 apiece forced Ken Carver to burn a timeout.

The squads traded points through eight rallies as the match was tied at 24. A Mayo kill from Cloud gave the Golden Eagles the advantage, and a subsequent Merced attack error ended the set that the Bobcats nearly stole.

Instead, the Golden Eagles carried a 2-0 lead into the third set – one that featured 10 ties and six lead changes. Neither team had more than a one-point lead until back-to-back blocks gave John Brown a small 3-0 rally to take an 18-15 lead. That’s all the Blue and Gold would need as the lead eventually grew to five, 23-18, until Beck’s kill ended the match from Ciesla.

John Brown, now back to .500, returns to action in Hutchinson, Kan., on Aug. 23-24. The Golden Eagles face a quartet of Kansas Collegiate Athletic Conference foes in the annual KCAC Fall Fling.

John Brown wins opening matches of tourney

August 24, 2019

By JOHN BROWN SPORTS INFORMATION

HUTCHINSON, Kan. – After struggling to find offensive rhythm in California last week, the John Brown University volleyball squad pieced together back-to-back matches hitting over .300 to land clean sweeps of Bethel (Kan.) and Avila (Mo.) on Friday (Aug. 23) inside the Hutcherson Sports Arena.

In the first match of the day, the Golden Eagles (4-2) rode a pair of plus .500 hitting performances from junior Jaden Williams and senior Kinzee Mayo to the 25-19, 25-19, 25-14 win. Williams terminated a career-high 11 attempts and finished .529 (11-2-17) on the match. Mayo finished the match without committing an error, launching a season-high eight kills to finish .500 (8-0-16) on the morning.

The two-pronged passing effort of John Brown produced a pair of double-digit assist marks as freshman Lauren Cloud produced a career-high 21 assists. Sophomore Carrie Ciesla added 15.

The JBU defense held the Bethel attack in check all morning, as the Threshers could only mount a .074 (22-16-81) effort. Alongside a team total of six blocks, John Brown also scooped 38 of Bethel’s 81 attack attempts, led by senior Carly McKinney’s 15. McKinney has posted double-digit digs in all six matches so far this season.

Sophomore Jenna Lowery and Cloud each served up a trio of aces as the Golden Eagles finished the morning matchup with nine to help offset 13 errors.

John Brown continued its momentum into the afternoon against Avila – but this time it was McKinney’s 10 terminations in errorless fashion that drove the Golden Eagle attack effort. Alongside hitting .500 (10-0-20) on the match, the senior scooped another 10 attempts on defense to earn her a second double-double on the season.

Senior Megan Beck’s seven terminations and .350 attacking clip (7-0-20) also helped power JBU’s best offensive output of the season to date. The Golden Eagles finished with a .356 (40-9-87) mark in the quick 64 minute contest against the Eagles.

Ciesla shouldered the majority of the passing responsibilities to finish with 18 helpers, five digs and a trio of aces.

The Avila offense never really started and was bogged down by 23 attack errors to finish the match at a .040 clip (27-23-101). Katelyn Payan was the lone exception with a match-best 12 terminations.

JBU will finish the KCAC Fall Fling with a pair of matches in back-to-back fashion on Saturday (Aug. 24). The Golden Eagles will take on Oklahoma Wesleyan at 3 p.m. before facing Sterling (Kan.) in the finale at 5 p.m.

John Brown claims pair of wins

August 24, 2019

By JOHN BROWN SPORTS INFORMATION

HUTCHINSON, Kan. – After dropping its first two matches of the season, the John Brown University volleyball squad, behind a pair of wins over Oklahoma Wesleyan and Sterling (Kan.) on Saturday (Aug. 24), is now riding a six-match winning streak after picking up another pair of sweeps inside the Hutchinson Sports Arena.

“I am so very proud of the performance of our players this weekend,” head coach Ken Carver said. “Coming off our performance in California, our team looked good in almost every facet of the game save one and that was our offensive consistency. In preparation for this weekend’s tournament we spent a lot of time focusing on improving our output and cutting down on the number of unforced errors.

“The two other things we spent a good deal of time on was on improving our blocking technique and embracing and enjoying pressure situations. This weekend we got to put all of those things we practiced to the test and our team passed with flying colors. Going 4-0 on the weekend and not dropping a set was a phenomenal performance by our team. We faced adversity at several points in overcoming deficits and closing out sets that were really close.”

Having to play in back-to-back matches, the Golden Eagles (6-2) limited the amount of work needed on the courts by taking care of Oklahoma Wesleyan in straight sets, 25-19, 25-11, 25-13.

The blocking effort by the John Brown front row kept OKWU (1-3) at bay all afternoon as the Golden Eagles posted a season high 15 team blocks, led by senior Jessica Schultz’s six block-assists and junior Taylor Glover’s pair of solo rejections. The effort resulted in Wesleyan hitting a -.104 (23-34-106) on the match – a season-best effort for JBU.

Senior Carly McKinney led the way with 10 terminations, adding four blocks and an ace to her stat line. Schultz added eight kills as the duo combined for over half of the John Brown kill effort as the Blue and Gold hit .207 (28-10-87) on the match.

JBU then had to turn around and immediately face Sterling (Kan.) in its last match of the two-day KCAC Fall Fling. This time, it was senior Kinzee Mayo that shouldered the majority of the attack as she posted a career-high 12 kills, hitting .391 (12-3-23) on the match. McKinney barely missed out on the double-double, adding nine terminations and 12 scoops. Schultz finished with an efficient eight kills on 13 attacks to hit .615 in the late match.

Sophomore Carrie Ciesla and freshman Lauren Cloud passed out a combined 31 helpers on John Brown’s 44 kills, with Ciesla finishing with 18, Cloud with 13. Cloud would also add a pair of aces to led the squad after eight games with 13 aces.

Sophomore Jenna Lowery scooped up a game-high 19 digs.

The Warriors (1-3) couldn’t get the offense going, despite taking a 6-0 lead in the first set, and finished the match hitting .088 (28-18-114).

“To have a team attack over .200 for the weekend while limiting our opponents to an attack of .022 speaks to our players’ ability to execute at a high level on both the offensive and defensive fronts of the game,” added Carver. “Our setters did a great job of running a balanced offense and our hitters did a much better job of taking care of the ball and making smart shots. The results we had this weekend demonstrated the progress we had hoped to make with another week of practice with our team. The season is still very young and we still have a lot of growing to do, but I love the camaraderie this team has already developed, the depth we have on our roster and the mental toughness we’ve been able to show early on. We’ll enjoy the success of this weekend and then spend the next two weeks preparing for the start of our conference season and the opportunity we have to play in front of our home fans for our next four games.”

John Brown will now rest for two weeks before enjoying its home opener on Friday (Sept. 6) against Oklahoma City. First serve inside Bill George Arena is slated for 7 p.m.

JBU attacker honored by Sooner Athletic Conference

August 26, 2019

By JOHN BROWN SPORTS INFORMATION

SILOAM SPRINGS – Senior Kinzee Mayo has been named the SAC’s Attacker of the Week by the league offices on Monday (Aug. 26) for her performances in John Brown’s 4-0 weekend at the KCAC Fall Fling in Hutchinson, Kan.

The Golden Eagles (6-2) have pieced together a six-match win streak after starting off the 2019 campaign with a pair of setbacks. This past weekend, JBU bested Bethel (Kan.), Avila (Mo.), Oklahoma Wesleyan and Sterling (Kan.) – all in straight-set fashion. John Brown has won its last five without dropping a game.

Mayo, a native of Anthony, Kan., was the offensive highlight for the JBU attack as the senior posted a 3.1 kills per set average while boasting a career-best 12 kills against Sterling en route to claiming her first-career SAC weekly honor. More impressive was her consistency as she finished the weekend hitting .490 (28-3-51).

She also posted eight rejections, seven of the block-assist variety.

“I’m excited for and proud of Kinzee being named the Attacker of the Week for her performance this past weekend,” head coach Ken Carver admitted. “Coming off of our first tournament in California, Kinzee really upped her focus and desire to get better and trained really hard in preparation for the KCAC Fall Fling. She was able to dial in her attack timing and did a fantastic job of making smart shots and seeing openings on the court to put balls down for our team consistently over the course of the entire tournament.

“Her consistency led to her finishing the weekend as the top attacker of the entire tournament. Beyond her outstanding performance on the court, as one of our three captains, she led our team well by being a vocal presence on and off the court and a consistent source of encouragement and positive energy for her teammates as well. To have this performance in front of family and friends, and now this honor, all icing on the cake for her.”

Up Next
After a pair of tournaments, the Golden Eagles will take its 6-2 overall record into the first weekend of Sooner Athletic play, where JBU will welcome Oklahoma City to Bill George Arena on Friday (Sept. 6) for a 7 p.m. first serve. The squad will then turn around the next day to play hosting duties to Southwestern Christian (Okla.) at 1 p.m.

John Brown picked fourth by league coaches

August 7, 2019

By JOHN BROWN SPORTS INFORMATION

Oklahoma City, Okla. – The John Brown University men’s soccer squad was selected to finish fourth in the Sooner Athletic Conference, per the release of the 2019 SAC Men’s Soccer Coaches Preseason Poll by the league office on Wednesday (Aug. 7) afternoon.

No.	Institution	Points
1.	Science & Arts (Okla.) (5)	76
2.	Mid-America Christian (Okla.) (3)	67
3.	Oklahoma City (2)	63
4.	John Brown (Ark.)	56
5.	Wayland Baptist (Texas)	49
6.	Southwestern Christian (Okla.)	46
7.	Texas Wesleyan	29
8.	Central Christian (Kan.)	28
9.	Southwestern A.G. (Texas)	21
10.	Okla. Panhandle State	21

Despite not winning the Sooner Athletic regular season or tournament title, perennial favorite Science & Arts (Okla.) was picked to wear the conference crown with 76 points and five first-place votes. The Drovers reached the SAC tournament championship match and finished second in the 2018 regular season table.

Upstart defending Sooner Athletic tournament champion Mid-America Christian (Okla.) owned the No. 2 spot in the poll, picking up 67 points and three first-place votes. The Evangels captured its first-ever tournament crown last year, prevailing over USAO in penalties after a 1-1 draw through double overtime. The Evangels were the lone SAC representative in last year’s NAIA National Championships Opening Round. MACU bested Kansas Wesleyan, 2-1, before falling in the Round of 16 to eventual National Champion, Central Methodist (Mo.).

Oklahoma City reeled in 63 points and a pair of first-place votes to stand third in the poll, and just seven points behind the Stars, John Brown secured the fourth spot with 56 points.

The 2018 campaign started promising for the Golden Eagles as John Brown posted three consecutive wins to begin the year, including a dramatic 1-0 win over No. 19 MidAmerica Nazarene (Kan.) in the season opener. Allowing just one goal against in the first three matches, JBU took its undefeated record to Orange Beach, Ala., where it took on the chin a pair of 4-1 losses, including to No. 3 William Carey (Miss.). The rest of the non-conference slate finished with a draw and a loss, John Brown’s first loss to Oklahoma Wesleyan since 2013, snapping JBU’s four-game unbeaten streak over the Eagles.

In conference play, John Brown suffered three losses in its first five matches, but also picked up a win over Science & Arts at Alumni Field. A big road win at Southwestern Christian, 2-1, was quickly negated with a tough 1-0 loss at Central Christian before JBU finished the regular season with a pair of wins by a combined 11-2 score over Texas Wesleyan and Southwestern A.G.

In a grudge match, John Brown pulled off its second win of the season at Southwestern Christian in the Sooner Athletic tournament quarterfinals, but its season was ended in the semifinals with a 4-1 loss at USAO as the Drovers avenged its earlier loss at Alumni Field.

Wayland Baptist (Texas) posted 49 points in the fifth slot, while Southwestern Christian (Okla.) landed in the sixth spot, recording 46 points. Texas Wesleyan (29) stood in seventh, while Central Christian (Okla.), Southwestern A.G. (Texas) and Oklahoma Panhandle State were the remaining teams in the poll, with 28, 21 and 15 points, respectively. Panhandle State will take to the pitch for the first time this season.

Head coach Brenton Benware, who enters his third season commanding the sidelines at Alumni Field, welcomes back returns 13 letterwinners from last year’s squad and will hope that bringing in 10 new faces to the program will help ensure a winning season. With the losses of All-Conference selections in Ryan Williams, Conner Haney and Giovani Bejarano, the Golden Eagles are certain to feature a number of new faces in the starting 11 as JBU returns just over a quarter of its scoring output from a season ago. Matriculation hit the back line just as hard, but the Golden Eagles will feature its two primary goal-stoppers patrolling the line in 2019.

Fortunately, the Golden Eagles received good news as of late – former NAIA All-America honorable mention and Sooner Athletic Player of the Year Kelvin Omondi will be making his way back to Siloam Springs. In his last two seasons, the Kenyan has tallied 31 goals and totaled 72 points. Also, the third-leading scorer on the team will return as Micah Herrmann comes back for a sophomore campaign after posting six goals and six assists (18 points). Two of those six goals proved to be game-winners.

On the back line, JBU will enjoy the return of sophomore Adrian Immel, the SAC Freshman of the Year, to help improve the defensive effort. Also returning for a final year is senior Ryan Smith, whose 2018 season was cut short due to injuries. John Brown will undoubtedly look for a strong second season from returning local product Jack Bos as well.In goal, senior Britt Wisener returns for his swan song at John Brown, as the Houston, Texas native posted career numbers in 2018 in his real first season of action. The 6-foot-4 keeper recorded a trio of clean sheets last year and stopped over 70 percent of shots fired on frame as the Golden Eagles yielded just 1.76 goals-against per game last year. In a heroic effort, Wisener posted a career-best 10 saves at Southwestern Christian in a 2-1 victory last year.

John Brown kicks off the 2019 campaign this afternoon in Texarkana with a match against the Eagles at 5 p.m. This matchup is coming off the heels of a 4-1 JBU win over Texas A&M in 2017. The Golden Eagles will then return home for a match later in the week, Friday, in its home opener as the Blue and Gold welcome Lyon (Ark.) to Alumni Field just in time for freshman move-in day on campus. JBU is 4-0 all-time against the Scots in Siloam Springs.

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).