Three-Goal First Half Buries Golden Eagles Against St. Gregory's
MOORE, Okla. (November 5, 2013) -- Sophomore Eli Simonsen and junior Martin Gonzlez each netted a second-half goal, but St. Gregory's (Okla.) used a three-goal outburst in the first half to defeat John Brown (8-9-1, 4-5-1 SAC), 4-2, this afternoon in Moore, Okla.
With a chance to jump in the Sooner Athletic Conference standings on the final day of play, the loss relegates JBU to the eighth and final spot for the upcoming tournament.
"We deserved to lose today," admitted head coach Scott Marksberry.
Despite out-shooting the hosts, 17-15, the Golden Eagles allowed the Cavaliers (8-7-1, 4-5-1 SAC) a 9-7 shot advantage in the first half that saw SGU take six shots on goal. St. Gregory's would score on three of those attempts, beating John Brown keeper Pablo Garcia (8-9-1) in the 12th, 18th and 23rd minutes.
JBU began to finally push back in the second half. Simonsen tallied his fifth goal of the season 53 seconds into the first half, forcing a 3-1 deficit. Simeonsen converted his patented free kick goal, bending the ball off the left post and in, beating SGU netminder Brock Vorwald.
Just seven minutes later, the Cavs would respond, pushing the lead to 4-1. The score remained that way for the rest of the match until the 85th minute when Gonzalez chipped in his 10th goal of the season when he created space in the left side of the box before sending a shot to right side of the goal.
Gonzalez paced all Golden Eagles with four shots while junior Ryan Duncan finished the match with three. Sophomore Zari Prescod and freshman Marco Cardona each contributed a pair of shots.
Garcia (8-9-1) suffered the loss in net, making five saves. Vorwald (8-7-1) earned the victory, needing only a pair of saves in the second half.
With the loss, the Golden Eagles will have to travel to Chickasha, Okla., to face top-seeded Science & Arts (Okla.) who landed the regular season championship with a 9-1 mark in conference play. The title was the Drovers' seventh all-time. The match is slated for Friday (Nov. 8) at Drover Pitch at 2:00 p.m.
