Sophomore Conner Haney scored two goals, pushing him into the scoring lead, and the No. 18 John Brown University men's soccer team tallied three goals in the second half en route to a 4-0 win over Bethel (Tenn.) on Saturday afternoon.
The game was originally scheduled for Friday, Sept. 23, but an electrical problem at Alumni Field forced the match to be played on Saturday.
Haney now has six goals on the season and offered bookended tallies against the Wildcats (3-5-0), which have now lost two of their last three. The Golden Eagles (5-1-1), meanwhile, have won two of their last three outings.
Senior keeper Adam Holt made three saves on the afternoon, shutting down the Bethel crosses and scooping up through balls at the top of the box. The clean sheet was his fourth of the season.
Haney netted his fifth of the year in the 12th minute when the ball bounced to him at the top of the box. He side-stepped one defender and let a shot go from the right side which found the far left post, beating Wildcat keeper Marco Taafe for a 1-0 JBU lead.
After a rather narrow first half that saw Bethel out-shoot John Brown 6-5, the Golden Eagles erupted for 12 shots in the second half.
Just two minutes apart in the 54th and 56th minutes, respectively, senior Daniel Marulanda buried a penalty kick after junior Collin Smith was hauled down in the Bethel box. Less than 120 seconds later, sophomore Ryan Williams scored his fourth of the season from just outside the box, bending a free kick over the wall and into the left pocket of the goal.
Armed with a 3-0 advantage, JBU capped off the scoring in the 79th minute when Santiago Vanegas' corner kick eluded Taafe and found Haney at the back left post. Haney knocked the ball with force out of mid-air, completing the scoring in the lopsided affair.
With a 5-1-1 record, the Golden Eagles now enter Sooner Athletic Conference play as they play at Mid-America Christian at 3 p.m. on Wednesday in Oklahoma City.
Sports on 09/28/2016