Simonsen Keys 3-1 Comeback Win over Mid-America Christian
OKLAHOMA CITY, Okla. (October 28, 2014) -- Junior midfielder Eli Simonsen scored a pair of goals and senior midfielder Martin Gonzalez added a goal and an assist as the Golden Eagles (8-6-2, 4-3-2 SAC) netted a trio of unanswered goals in a 3-1 victory over Mid-America Christian (Okla.) this afternoon at the MACU Soccer Field.
The Golden Eagles dominated the shots category, 22-6, as Gonzalez launched a match-high seven shots in the victory. Simonsen added four while sophomore striker Marco Cardona and junior midfielder Guilherme Barbosa each contributed two apiece.
JBU’s offensive bombardment of the MACU net forced Evangel keeper Tyler McIntosh to make a season-high 13 saves in the loss. Freshman keeper Adam Holt added to his win column by collecting two saves in the win.
Mid-America Christian (5-11-0, 1-7-0 SAC) struck first in the ninth minute when a Martin Mata cross into the John Brown box found Michael Johns for a 1-0 lead for the hosts.
The visitors began to turn it on from that point, however, as Simonsen tallied his first goal of the contest in the 26th minute off a free kick, knotting the score at one.
Just after that in the 28th minute, MACU’s Devin Theisen absorbed his second yellow card of the match, forcing the Evangels to play one man short for the remainder of the contest.
It wasn’t until the 65th minute that the Golden Eagles made MACU pay. Barbosa earned his first assist of the season when his pass found Gonzalez 20 yards out from the Evangel net. Gonzalez unleashed a shot that beat McIntosh, handing John Brown a 2-1 advantage. It was Gonzalez’s fourth tally of the season.
Just eight minutes later, Simonsen tallied his second goal of the contest in the 73rd minute off a corner kick from Gonzalez, adding an insurance marker for the Golden Eagles. Simonsen now owns four goals and nine assists on the 2014 campaign.
With the win, John Brown cements its place in the Sooner Athletic Conference tournament by owning the No. 5 or 6 seed. The tournament will begin next weekend with tournament pairings set to be released early next week.
