Men’s Soccer Settles for 1-1 Draw with City
SILOAM SPRINGS, Ark. (October 1, 2014) -- The Golden Eagle men’s soccer team (4-4-1, 0-1-1 SAC) scored in the 2nd minute of play, but were then shutout for 108 consecutive minutes as a second-half Oklahoma City (2-3-2, 1-0-1 SAC) tally forced the squads into a 1-1 draw tonight at Alumni Field.
Senior striker Ryan Duncan netted his team-leading fourth goal of the season while freshman keeper Adam Holt made three saves.
“Tonight’s game seemed to be played in three parts,” admitted head coach Scott Marksberry. “First, we had the section of the match where we were playing our brand of the game. We created a load of chances and we made the game predictable on the defensive side of the ball. After halftime, we started to get a bit sloppy with our attention to detail, and OCU gained confidence.
“By the time that section of the game was over, we were tied 1-1 and down a man. In the final phase of the game, I thought we showed a lot of character. We did the work that was required to keep the game even, and we had some quality scoring chances. But it is another game that ends with us scratching our heads on our finishing. We still need to be sharper in front of the goal.”
Duncan’s goal came as a result of a quick JBU counter-attack. Freshman defender Douglas Oliveira started the play with a great first pass up the middle. Sophomore striker Marco Cardona found junior midfielder Eli Simonsen in the offensive zone before Simonsen’s flick up the right side sprang Duncan. Duncan cruised past his defender and deposited a rolling shot to the far left post for a 1-0 lead.
However, the scoring would end there for the Golden Eagles.
The Stars tied the match at one apiece in the 74th minute. Logan Stewart’s flip-throw from the right sidelines found the head of Danny Frid in the box, who managed to get a head on the throw-in just before Holt could punch away the attempt. The ball caromed over Holt and managed to get past senior striker Martin Gonzalez, who was patrolling the goal line.
The Golden Eagles outshot City despite fielding only 10 players due to an Oliveira red card in the 74th minute. John Brown collected an 18-13 shooting advantage, paced by four shots from Cardona and three apiece from Duncan, Gonzalez and Simonsen.
Both Holt and OCU keeper Vladimir Kalajdzic earned a tie. Holt collected three saves while Kalajdzic posted four.
John Brown will return to Alumni Field on Saturday (Oct. 4) when it faces St. Gregory’s (Okla.) at 3:00 p.m. as part of the 2014 Homecoming festivities.
