SILOAM SPRINGS, Ark. – In a battle of the two top teams in the Sooner Athletic Conference, the No. 1 MACU men's soccer team stood tall, moving to the top of the league table with a hard-fought 1-0 victory over (RV) John Brown at Alumni Field on Saturday night.
 
SCORING SUMMARY

• 2^nd Half – MACU – 58:02 – Goal: Pietro Musso (2), Assist: Kolby Godbolt – MACU 1, JBU 0

MATCH SUMMARY

• Scoring opportunities were limited for both squads through the first 17 minutes before John Brown (9-5, 6-1 SAC) got the first attempt on-goal in the 18^th minute when Erick Diaz was able to get free on the left side of the box off a deep cross. However, MACU goalkeeper Claudio Fuentealba made a strong stop on the low liner to keep the Golden Eagles off the board.
• Mid-America Christian (12-0-3, 6-0-1 SAC) put its only shot on-goal at the top of the 19^th minute when Jack Price squared up a 17-yarder, but it bounced in to JBU goalkeeper Kyle Hix toward the right post for the easy save.
• The Golden Eagles narrowly missed scoring their first goal on a fancy opportunity when Jacob Zamarron attempted a bicycle kick from the left side toward the right post in the 22^nd minute, but the attempt sailed high and wide right.
• JBU had the last two on-target chances of the first half in the 29^th and 33^rd minutes, but Fuentealba was able to knock down Diaz's second attempt on-goal before being cleared while Fuentealba's third save of the half came off a deep free kick from the left side.
• While JBU's Steven Cisneros was the first player to put a shot on-target with a weakly placed header in the 58^th minute as Fuentealba made the easy save toward the right post, the Evangels found the winning shot just 42 seconds later.
• At the top of the 59^th minute, Kolby Godbolt ran down a loose on the left side and lofted a deep clearance to the run of Pietro Musso on the left side of the penalty box. Off the bounce, Musso lofted a gorgeous 17-yard floater into the top right corner to make it a 1-0 MACU advantage.
• In the 64^th minute, the Golden Eagles had two great chances at an equalizer when an Oscar Carballo corner kick bounced out of the hands of Fuentealba before Zamarron attempted another bicycle kick on the half-volley. After being popped up in the air, Kareem Williams headed it away, but another quick follow-up header by Marco Brizuela fell to the feet of Fuentealba, who pounced on it before it could cross the line for the save.
• The Golden Eagles had another good chance at an equalizer in the 75^th minute when a loose ball in the box fell to the foot of Cisneros, who blasted a 16-yarder toward the left side that was blocked by Sebastian Rebolledo before Zamarron got another attempt on-frame off the following JBU corner, but his rocket from 22-yards was dove on by Fuentealba for his seventh save of the match.
• JBU had one last chance at a potential equalizer in the final minute when a foul was called on MACU just outside the right side of the 18-yard box. Carballo's free kick found the head of Alejandro Ramirez on the left side of the box, but he pushed it too far out the left side for a goal kick, sealing the 1-0 final.

MATCH NOTES

• For the first time this season, Mid-America Christian was out-shot in the match as John Brown held a 14-8 shooting advantage with a 7-3 margin in shots on-goal.
• The game-winning shot by Pietro Musso marked his second goal of the season and became the seventh different Evangels player to net a game-winning shot this year.
• The assist for Kolby Godbolt on the winning goal marked his first career Evangels dime, boosting his season point total to 13 on the year.
• Federico Palacios and Yasha Schaerer were the lone Evangels to attempt more than one shot in the match as each tallied two.
• Claudio Fuentealba improved to 11-0-2 in-goal for MACU with the victory, completing the clean sheet with a season-high seven saves. Fuentealba moved into the MACU NAIA Era record books with his performance as his 11 wins currently sits in a tie for fifth for season wins with Tyler McIntosh (2013) while his fifth shutout also moves him into a four-way tie for fifth in the record book.
• The Evangels defense shutout the high-octane John Brown offense for just the second time this season and the first time on its Alumni Field pitch.
• With the victory, Mid-America Christian moves to the top of the Sooner Athletic Conference standings with 19 conference points on its 6-0-1 league mark, a point ahead of John Brown with its 6-1 conference record.
• The Golden Eagles are the eighth opponent the Evangels have faced this season that are either ranked or receiving votes in the NAIA Top 25 poll as MACU holds a 6-0-2 record against said foes.

UP NEXT

•  Mid-America Christian will have a short turnaround before it hosts Oklahoma Panhandle State for Senior Night on Monday at the Dill Soccer Field. The Evangels will hold their senior ceremony at the conclusion of the women's game before the men's game kicks off at 7:30 p.m.