Gonzalez's Six-Point Day Headlines 4-0 Golden Eagle Victory
SILOAM SPRINGS, Ark. (October 31, 2013) -- Junior Martin Gonzlez earned the primary assist on both Golden Eagle first half goals before scoring a pair of his own in the second half, vaulting John Brown (8-8-0, 4-4-0 SAC) to a convincing 4-0 win over Mid-America Christian (Okla.) this morning at Siloam Springs High School.
The match, which was previously scheduled to be played at Alumni Field, was relocated to the turf field at Siloam Springs High School to avoid further damage to a rain-soaked pitch.
The artificial turf seemed to favor the speed of JBU. The Golden Eagles began the match with a couple of scoring opportunities before breaking through with the first tally of the match. In the 25th minute, sophomore Will Simonds sent a long pass up the right sidelines that was accepted in stride by junior Martin Gonzalez deep in the MACU zone. After taking a touch, Gonzalez crossed the ball into the far side of the box where it was met by junior Ryan Duncan, who sent a precise strike to the bottom left corner of the net for a 1-0 advantage. Duncan became the first Golden Eagle to eclipse the double-digit goal threshold, continuing his career season.
The Evangels came close to scoring an equalizer, but the pressure of senior netminder Pablo Garcia forced a quick MACU shot that caught the edge of Garcia's leg at point-blank range, preserving the slim JBU lead.
In what seemed to be an exact replication of the first tally, this time freshman Jordan Story sent a long ball down the right sidelines which was again accepted by Gonzalez. After taking a step around a defender, Gonzalez sent a long cross to the far post where it was deflected in by sophomore Cory Cole. It was Cole's second tally of the season.
John Brown edged the Evangels, 10-7, in shots on goal in the first half. Garcia collected three saves, keeping MACU at bay.
It didn't take long for JBU to strike again when Gonzalez tallied his eighth goal of the season just 52 seconds into the second half. Senior Luke Theimer was able to play a header inside the box to Gonzalez who was waiting just outside the box. After a bound, Gonzalez volleyed a strike from the left side that landed just inside the top right corner placing the Golden Eagles confidently ahead, 3-0.
Gonzalez's career day wasn't over, however. In the 64th minute, the junior handled the ball on the left flank in the attacking zone before finding a seam between two Evangel defenders. He then cut into the middle and sent a strike to the top shelf, completing his six-point game.
The JBU defense was all over the MACU forwards in the second half as John Brown out-shot the visitors 14-4 in the second stanza. Mid-America had no response and wasn't able to piece together a scoring threat over the final 20 minutes of play.
Garcia (8-8-0) picked up his second shutout of the season, finishing the match with four saves. MACU netminder Tyler McIntosh (9-6-1) suffered the defeat and wrangled five saves in the losing effort.
With the victory, the Golden Eagles moved into sixth place in the SAC standings with two matches remaining. The top eight squads will qualify for the Sooner Athletic Conference tournament. JBU will return to the pitch on Saturday (Nov. 2) when it entertains Northwood (Texas) at 1:00 p.m. on senior day.
