October 11, 2025
Waxahachie, TX — The Nelson University Lions men's soccer team fought hard but came up just short in a 2–1 defeat to John Brown University (JBU) in Sooner Athletic Conference (SAC) play at the Lions Athletic Complex on Saturday afternoon.
The Lions showed composure through a tense first half, holding the Golden Eagles scoreless while creating several chances of their own. Freshman forward Jonathan Ledesma, a standout from Mineola High School, entered off the bench and made his presence felt immediately recording a pair of quality shots and bringing energy to the Nelson attack.
After a defensive stalemate early, John Brown finally broke through in the 68th minute when Garrison Thompson found the net off a feed from Marcos Miranda, quickly followed by a second strike from Jorge Cervantes assisted by goalkeeper Juan Almanza less than two minutes later.
Nelson refused to go quietly. In the 71st minute, Ledesma capped off his dynamic shift with his first collegiate goal, finishing a smooth assist from Joel Palmer to cut the deficit in half and ignite the Lions' sideline. Despite several set-piece opportunities down the stretch including five total corner kicks Nelson couldn't find the equalizer.
Goalkeeper Amir Raime finished with one save, anchoring a back line that battled through physical play and multiple cautions. The Lions ended with five total shots (four on goal) to John Brown's four, a testament to their persistent offensive effort.
With the result, Nelson moves to 5–5–3 overall (0–3–2 SAC), while John Brown improves to 9–3–1 (4–1 SAC).
Next Up: The Lions hit the road to face Oklahoma City University on Saturday, Oct. 18, at 6:30 PM in Oklahoma City, OK.
Nelson University (formerly SAGU) is a private Christian university, established in 1927 by P.C. Nelson. The University is located 30 minutes south of the Dallas/Fort Worth Metroplex in Waxahachie, Texas, and offers more than 70 associate, bachelor's, master's, and doctoral degrees on campus or online. For more information, visit www.nelson.edu or by calling 1-888-YES-NELSON.
