Penalty Kicks, Second-Half Rally by Ravens Thwart Golden Eagles, 4-2
ATCHISON, Kan. (September 21, 2013) -- Behind first-half goals from junior Ryan Duncan and sophomore Zeke Zumbro, the Golden Eagles built a 2-1 lead by halftime over No. 3 Benedictine (Kan.) before a three-goal rally from the Ravens handed John Brown (4-4-0) a 4-2 loss tonight in Atchison.
In a match that featured a lopsided amount of fouls called against JBU (16-10), in addition to three cautions, the Golden Eagles had to face giving up two penalty kick opportunities in order to grab a win. Unfortunately, the Ravens (6-1-0) converted both chances, not allowing John Brown an opportunity to rally in the second half.
"Benedictine was a strong team and their fans and facility made for a great atmosphere tonight," said head coach Scott Marksberry. "I did think the 4-2 result was a bit unfortunate for our boys. We played well, we kept the ball, we found space to attack in the midfield, but those things don't win games. I think that we hit the target, tactically, in the match, but the two penalty kicks were a bit much to overcome.
"The pace was high and there was quality play from both teams. We would be happy to come back to Benedictine in the future for another shot at them."
The Ravens got on the board first after a Benedictine forward was hauled down in the box. The hosts would convert the ensuing opportunity, placing the Golden Eagles back on its heels.
JBU began to recover, however, slowly building momentum and stringing together passes to push long possessions down the field. In the 20th minute, freshman defender Jordan Story darted down the left flank before sending a beautiful cross the found the head of Duncan in the middle of the box. Duncan made no mistake, redirecting the pass into the back of the net, tying junior midfielder Martin Gonzalez for the team lead with four goals.
The Golden Eagles weren't done as Eli Simonsen, in the center circle, sent a booming pass to forward Zeke Zumbro, who had split the Raven defense down the field. Zumbro accepted the pass and calmly beat the Raven netminder, handing John Brown the lead, 2-1, and quieting the sold-out crowd.
Unfortunately for the Golden Eagles, the Ravens regained its early-match form and scored three unanswered tallies in the second half. After a long shot from the right flank flew over the head of senior keeper Pablo Garcia, Benedictine earned another penalty kick, and converted. The hosts scored the insurance strike in the 70th minute to push the match out of reach.
The Ravens notched a 20-13 shot advantage while landing a 9-5 advantage in shots on goal. Benedictine launched six corner kicks, compared to JBU's lone corner kick. Garcia (4-4-0) knocked away five shots on goal and suffered his fourth loss of the season while Taylor Vinnage (6-1-0) blocked three John Brown attempts in leading the Ravens to a home victory.
Sophomore midfielder Eli Simonsen paced the Golden Eagle offense with five shots as teammates Story and Duncan each landed a pair.
The match ends the end of the Golden Eagles' non-conference portion of the 2013 slate as John Brown will head to Shawnee, Okla., this Saturday (Sept. 27) afternoon to kick off the Sooner Athletic Conference portion of the campaign at St. Gregory's (4-2-0). The match is slated to begin at 3:00 p.m.
