SILOAM SPRINGS, Ark. — The top-ranked Oklahoma Wesleyan University men's soccer team made a statement on the road Saturday afternoon, putting four in the back of the net and keeping a clean sheet in a commanding 4-0 victory over No. 13 John Brown University at Alumni Field.

In a battle of nationally ranked programs, the Eagles wasted little time taking control of the pitch. OKWU struck three times in the opening 34 minutes, putting the Golden Eagles on their heels and taking a commanding 3-0 advantage into the halftime break.

Ryunsokue Masuzuka opened the scoring in the 17th minute, finding the back of the net for his third goal of the season. The early breakthrough gave the Eagles the momentum, and from there, the floodgates began to open.

Less than 10 minutes later, Ronardo Burgher doubled the advantage. Burgher buried his first goal of the season in the 26th minute, giving OKWU a 2-0 cushion and putting the Eagles firmly in the driver's seat.

In the 34th minute, the Eagles turned pressure into another goal. Ognjen Pilic put a header on frame before Alfonso Obregon Macias finished the sequence, scoring off Pilic's assist to make it 3-0. The Eagles nearly added another before halftime when Eguzki Hashimoto rattled an attempt off the post in the 37th minute.

With three goals already on the board, OKWU entered the second half looking to protect the lead while continuing to press forward.

John Brown attempted to find a way back into the match, but the Eagles' back line stood tall. Goalkeeper Marko Rodic was a brick wall between the posts, turning away all four shots on goal he faced to preserve the shutout.

The hill became even steeper for John Brown in the 55th minute when Marco Brizuela was shown a red card, forcing JBU to finish the match with 10 men.

OKWU eventually delivered the final blow in the 71st minute.

Carter Ligi joined the scoring party, finishing a ball from Colon Valeriano for his second goal of the season. Ligi's strike put the finishing touches on a complete performance and pushed the advantage to 4-0.

When the final whistle sounded, the scoreboard told the story: four goals, one clean sheet and another statement victory for the Eagles.

Oklahoma Wesleyan finished with a 12-9 advantage in shots and put six attempts on frame while holding John Brown to four shots on goal. The Eagles also won the battle from the corner flag, earning five corner kicks to JBU's two. Four different Eagles found the back of the net, while Pilic and Valeriano each recorded an assist.

Rodic's four-save clean sheet anchored the defensive effort as the Eagles slammed the door on every John Brown opportunity. At the other end of the pitch, OKWU showed its attacking depth with goals coming from throughout the lineup.

The victory moves No. 1 Oklahoma Wesleyan to 3-0-1 on the season, while No. 13 John Brown suffers its first loss and moves to 4-1-0.