Box Score SILOAM SPRINGS, Ark. – The 13th-ranked Wayland Baptist men's soccer team knew it had a tough match waiting for them in Siloam Springs, Ark. against John Brown. After jumping out to a 2-0 first-half lead, the Golden Eagles clawed their way back into the game, eventually tying the score with less than five minutes to play. After a couple of close calls for both teams, WBU sophomore
Andres Lozano scored with seven seconds left to give the Pioneers a stunning 3-2 win.
With just under a minute to play, Wayland (11-2-1, 6-1-0 Sooner Athletic Conference) was fouled just outside the 18-yard line.
Miguel Teos took the penalty shot for the Pioneers, but it was deflected off of a JBU defender.
Travis Rovillo eventually controlled the ball and made it within a few feet of the goal before trying to pass it in front of JBU's goal.
John Brown (6-7, 2-3) corralled the ball, however, and cleared it down field. That led to an all-out foot race between JBU's forward Zari Prescod, Wayland defender Emmanual Akok and keeper
John-Ramses Thomas. Thomas elected to leave the goal and try to make a play on the ball, leaving an empty net.
Fortunately, Thomas reached the ball first and was able to redirect the play, but Thomas' kick went off Prescod...in front of an empty net with no one in site. Wayland's
Javier Cruz rushed in to clear the ball just in time to save the day for the Pioneers, and ultimately set up a thrilling win.
Akok regained possession for the Pioneers and passed the ball to Teos streaking down the sideline with about 30 seconds left. Teos dribbled to the middle of the pitch, just in front of the box, before the ball wound up going to
Travis Rovillo on the opposite side.
Rovillo made a high pass to the middle of the box where
David Neuberth headed it out to Lozano. Lozano quickly controlled the ball, and with less than 10 seconds took a left-footed shot about five feet outside of the box. The sophomore from Greenville, S.C., lofted the ball over the keeper's head and it entered the top, right-hand side of the goal, giving Wayland a 3-2 lead with just seven seconds left.
An understandably devastated John Brown team tried to run one final play and kick a Hail Mary down the field, but to no avail. The Pioneers snuck out of Siloam Springs with a 3-2 win.
It was a tale of two halves before the dramatic ending. Wayland controlled the match in the first half, scoring two goals, and John Brown controlled the second half, scoring two goals. The Pioneers were able to grind out the hard-fought match, however.
Wayland's first goal came just 3-1/2 minutes into the start of play off the foot of
Vitalis Atemafac, who has been on fire as of late for the Pioneers. The senior from New Carrollton, Md., has two goals and two assists in WBU's last three matches.
Samson Defeugaing provided a little foreshadowing when he gave Wayland a 2-0 lead just before the half. Defeugaing scored his first goal of the season with just three seconds left before intermission.
The Golden Eagles were not be discouraged by the deficit, however, and came out with everything they had in the second half. Eli Simonsen cut the WBU lead in half, scoring his third goal of the season 12 minutes into the second half.
With his team down a goal, Luke Theimer of JBU put in the equalizer with just 4:35 left to play.
Neither team seemed to want to head to sudden death overtime and came out on all cylinders for the final four minutes of play. The Pioneers eventually came out of the dog fight on top, however, thanks to Lozano's heroics.
The Pioneers gladly return home after a taxing match to play in the comfort of their home venue where they have yet to drop a match this year. Wayland will take on No. 19 Texas Wesleyan (9-3-1, 3-2-0) at 7 p.m. Tuesday at J.V. Hilliard Field in what will likely be another grueling conference contest.
