Soccer season is back at John Brown University, with a high influx of new players on the JBU campus, and great performances throughout the matches leading up to and beyond the start of Sooner Athletic Conference (SAC) play. The men’s soccer team stands at a 5-0-2 record, riding a seven-match undefeated streak, while the women’s team stands at 5-3.
The JBU men started off the season strong, winning four out of their first six matches, with no losses. Their recent tie against the then-#3 Columbia Cougars showed the team’s perseverance and teamwork, as the team came from behind late against tough competition to force a draw.
The team’s performance landed some recognition from the SAC to multiple players. Senior Jacob Zamarron earned the SAC’s Offensive Player of the Week honor after capping off his fourth-career hat trick in John Brown’s 6-1 win against Southwestern.
Senior Oscar Carballo was honored two times in the span of three weeks. Carballo was first named the Sooner Athletic Offensive Player of the Week for his efforts in matches against Lyon and Friends, and then went on to be named the Oklahoma Ford Offensive Player of the Week after salvaging JBU’s undefeated streak on the Columbia match, by scoring a goal with less than a minute left in the clock.
The men’s program, led by head coach Chris Cole, introduced five new freshmen to the team. Goalkeeper Adam Tebbs; midfielders Jose Carrero and Marco Brizuela and defenders Ahmed Abess and Steven Cisneros are in their first year with the program. According to Cisneros, expectations are high around the locker room this season. “We have a very good team, and right now, the main goal is to aim the highest and start thinking about winning the conference,” Cisneros said.
As for the women’s soccer program, the team had a more difficult start than in previous seasons with four wins and three losses during non-conference play. Their play in their Sept. 24 contest against Williams Woods, however, was nothing short of outstanding, and it is one that has set expectations for how they hope to perform as they get dig into their conference schedule.
Following the Williams Woods match, the SAC named junior Lauren Walter the Oklahoma Ford Offensive Player of the Week for her contributions to the winning 8-0 effort.
Head women’s soccer coach Kathleen Paulsen welcomed eight new players to the team. The team’s six freshmen are Olivia Fish, Aubrey Winter, Regan Riley, Karen Flores, Lillian Johnson and Bethany Markovich, while the team adds transfers Emily Dobbins and Kendall Kooi, as well. With a high number of new players, the team has been trying to figure out a new system, said senior goalkeeper Chloe Griffin. “Our formation is the same, but we are playing our center-attack-mid differently, so that just changes the way we attack.”
About their win over William Woods, Griffin said that she thinks they are “coming into [themselves] as a team,” adding that, “This is my first year starting, so coming into that role is a little bit different for me. But, I think figuring out how to play cohesively and remembering why we love soccer and playing with that helps. I think that’s why we did so well at our last game.”
Sophomore Renny Buchanan explained that she felt their non-conference slate helped them because they played against “a lot of tough teams,” and they all now have more experience for conference play. “At first, we all were playing in survival mode, but now we’re learning to work together and not play for ourselves but play for each other and for the Lord, and I think that’s a big difference in our play,” she said.
After winning last season’s SAC championship, JBU became the favorite to take the SAC women’s soccer title according to SAC preseason coaches’ poll. The team expects to deliver that result and bring home one more championship. “Winning is always the goal. We hope to make it to nationals, but we’re also trying to take each game as it comes and do our best,” Buchanan said.
The Golden Eagles opened conference play on Wednesday, Sept. 28 against Oklahoma Panhandle State inside Anchor D Stadium in Goodwell, Oklahoma. The men defeated the Aggies 5-1 behind three second-half goals from Alejandro Ramirez and two from Jacob Zamarron. Meanwhile, the women took a 5-0 victory over Oklahoma Panhandle State, with two more goals from Lauren Walter leading the charge.
Both teams will take the field next on Friday, Sept. 30 against Wayland Baptist in Plainview, Texas, before facing Southwestern Christian in Bethany, Oklahoma on Tuesday, Oct. 4. They return to Siloam Springs and Alumni Field to face Science & Arts on Saturday, Oct. 8.