Tag: John Brown University

Golden Goal sinks No. 13 John Brown

John Brown’s Anne Metz. Photo by John Brown University Sports Information
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Oklahoma Wesleyan1012
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August 31, 2019

By JOHN BROWN SPORTS INFORMATION

SILOAM SPRINGS – Rayssa Souza’s overtime goal, her second on the match, broke a 1-1 draw for Oklahoma Wesleyan and turned a promising match in which the Golden Eagles carried momentum through full time into the No. 13 John Brown University women’s soccer team’s first loss of the season on Saturday (Aug. 31) afternoon at Alumni Field.

In the final match of the annual John Brown University Classic, a tale of two halves unfolded as the sides each dominated a frame apiece. The visiting Eagles (1-1-0), stinging from a 4-0 setback to No. 19 Science & Arts (Okla.) on Thursday, came out a much more confident side as OKWU peppered the John Brown goal with eight shot attempts before the intermission.

Wesleyan nearly struck in the fourth minute when a dreadful deflection inside the JBU box rolled to the visitors’ leading scorer from a year ago, Marjolen Nekesa. Nekesa all alone, fired a shot to the bottom left post, but junior Caitlyn Logan answered the question with a brilliant diving save to keep the match scoreless.

After another Logan save, and an Anne Metz header attempt off a corner, which turned out to be a sign of things to come, Wesleyan took a 1-0 lead in the 35th minute when Daniela Ortiz’s feed from the right wing to a wide open Souza for a one-touch to the back of the goal.

Both teams attempted one more shot apiece before the bathroom break where the Golden Eagles (2-1-0) regrouped for quite a different second half.

In the second frame, the hosts enjoyed a 10-4 advantage in the shooting column, and in the 55th minute, Metz leveled the match when her head redirected a Sienna Nealon corner kick from the left flag off Wesleyan keeper Aryza Olague’s hands, the crossbar, and finally over the goal line.

Metz, now with a goal in consecutive matches, and senior Kristen Howell now share the Golden Eagle scoring race with a pair of strikes each.

John Brown would continue to push the pace as sophomore Alair Love and junior Vanessa Reynoso would lead the effort three and two shot attempts, respectively. Olague had to make three saves as seven Golden Eagle offerings missed the frame or were blocked.

Just 3:15 into extra time, an unfortunate defensive clearing skipped right to OKWU’s Taylor Gross, who immediately fired a pass that split the JBU back line and sprung Souza in on Logan all alone. Souza ended the match with a shot to the bottom left corner in the 94th minute.

John Brown finished the match with a 15-13 shooting advantage, but Wesleyan owned an 8-6 margin in shots on target. Logan was dinged with her first loss of the season despite making a season-high six saves. OKWU’s first half tally broke the Blue and Gold’s shutout streak at 214:58.

Up Next
The Golden Eagles return to Alumni Field for its fourth consecutive home match on Saturday (Sept. 7) when it welcomes Columbia (Mo.) for the 7 p.m. match. John Brown dealt the Cougars a 1-0 loss last season in Columbia, Mo. on senior Jastin Redman’s second-half strike.

No. 13 John Brown starts 2-0

John Brown’s Megan Hutto (23). Photo by John Brown Sports Information
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August 29, 2019

By JOHN BROWN SPORTS INFORMATION

SILOAM SPRINGS – Senior Anne Metz’s return to the lineup has been a year in the works after redshirting in 2018, and against Concordia (Neb.), she completed her comeback by striking the game-winner midway through the first half as the No. 13 John Brown University women’s soccer team controlled its second consecutive home match to put away a 3-0 win at Alumni Field on Thursday (Aug. 29) evening.

Out-shooting the visitors by an 11-4 margin, the Golden Eagles (2-0-0) struck for a pair of first-half goals, followed by an unconventional goal just after the intermission as junior keeper Caitlyn Logan posted her second clean sheet of the season, recording a pair of saves in the win.

Concordia (0-2-0) entered the match on the heels of a 2-0 setback to Missouri Valley, and the Bulldog offense mustered just four shots, two on target as Logan made a save in each half.

Metz opened the scoring by finishing off a beautiful combination play in the 23rd minute. Transfer sophomore Megan Hutto started the play with a through ball to sophomore Alair Love down the right flank. Love’s cross into the box found Metz, who buried an eight-yard shot to the bottom left corner to build a 1-0 lead.

Fifteen minutes later, senior Kristen Howell became the first Golden Eagle with multiple goals on the season when she ripped a shot from the top of the box past Concordia keeper Lindsey Carley off the right post and in. Junior Anna Schuchardt stripped a Bulldog midfielder of possesion and the result slipped out to Howell for the strike, posting Schuchardt’s first collegiate point and Howell’s second tally of the season.

After scoring twice on five shots in the first half, the Golden Eagles put the third goal of the match on the board just over 90 seconds after haltime. Off another turnover, freshman Kylie Kilfoy’s blast from 25 yards deflected off a Concordia shoulder and up and over Carley to solidify Kilfoy’s first collegiate goal.

Limited to just two shots through the final 45 minutes of play, the John Brown defense held Concordia from gathering any momentum in an effort to mount a comeback.

Junior Sienna Nealon led all players with three shots, while junior Vanessa Reynoso and Kilfoy each added a pair in the victory. The Golden Eagles owned a 6-1 advantage in corner kicks.

Up Next
The Golden Eagles return to Alumni Field to close out the annual John Brown University Classic at 3 p.m. against Oklahoma Wesleyan. OKWU fell in 4-0 fashion to No. 19 Science & Arts (Okla.) in the first matchup of the day. USAO will take on Concordia in Saturday’s first match at 1 p.m.

Reynoso, Logan selected as First SAC Players of the Week

Graphic/Photo by John Brown Sports Information

August 26, 2019

By JOHN BROWN UNIVERSITY SPORTS INFORMATION

SILOAM SPRINGS – Juniors Caitlyn Logan and Vanessa Reynoso were named the SAC Defensive and Offensive Players of the Week, respectively, by the league office for their performance against LSU Shreveport this past weekend on Monday (Aug. 26).

The award is the fourth of Logan’s career while Reynoso picked up the honors for the first time as a Golden Eagle.

While the John Brown midfield and back line limited the Pilots (0-1-0) to just three shots, two on target, Logan’s acrobatic save in the early going to preserve the 0-0 stalemate that persisted into the intermission. The goalkeeper from Charlotte, N.C., was not called upon in the second half as JBU (1-0-0) maintained overwhelming control, out-shooting the visitors 14-1 en route to a two-goal outburst.

The clean sheet was the 14th of Logan’s career.

Reynoso, meanwhile, played a hand in each Golden Eagle tally in the second half. In the 67th minute, the midfielder’s through ball past the Shreveport back line sprung senior Kristen Howell into a one-on-one with the keeper. Howell sidestepped the keeper and struck from a tough angle to net the game-winner.

With just over five minutes remaining, Reynoso iced the contest by deflecting freshman Emma Schoenberg’scross from the left side up and over the Pilot keeper, netting her third career goal to cap off a three-point outing in the John Brown season opener.

Up Next
The Golden Eagles return to action on Thursday (Aug. 29) to take on Concordia (Neb.) at Alumni Field. First kick is slated for 7 p.m. and can be viewed live on JBUathletics.com.

No. 13 John Brown opens Season with Win

August 23, 2019

By JOHN BROWN SPORTS INFORMATION

SILOAM SPRINGS – The No. 13 John Brown University women’s soccer team opened the 2019 campaign with a convincing 2-0 victory over LSU Shreveport behind a pair of second-half goals on Friday (Aug. 23) evening at Alumni Field.

JBU (1-0-0) has now won its last four season openers under head coach Kathleen Paulsen and picks up an early season victory against a team that received votes in the NAIA Women’s Soccer Coaches’ Preseason Top 25 Poll.

Despite outshooting the visiting Pilots 13-2 in the first half, capped off by a point-blank opportunity by senior Kristen Howell that was gobbled up in the goal mouth by keeper Karolyn Hasler, the visitors were able to reach the intermission with a scoreless tie.

Finally, in the 67th minute, junior Vanessa Reynoso started her three-point outing by slipping a through ball past the Shreveport defense that sprung Howell through the back line. Howell reached the pass first and found herself one-on-one with Hasler, but was able to maneuver around the sprawling keeper and deposit her first of the season.

The tally would hold to be Howell’s fifth game-winner of her career.

Nearly 20 minutes later in the 85th minute, freshman Emma Schoenberg’s low cross from the left side into the box was flicked by Reynoso up and over Hasler – handing the Golden Eagles a much-needed insurance relief.

While the Pilots (0-1-0) had few opportunities, mainly off the foot of Chelsea Brown – who accounted for all of LSUS’s opportunities, junior Caitlyn Logan was up to the task. The visitors’ best opportunity came in the 8th minute when Brown snuck through the Golden Eagle back line on the right side and fired a cross-goal shot to the left side. Logan was tracking, however, as the keeper’s outstretched arm deflected the ball, and a potential difficult start, away from the goal line. She finished with two saves – both off the foot of Brown.

The match finished with a lopsided 27-3 shooting disparity in favor of the hosts. Howell finished with a career-high eight shot attempts while freshman Kiley Kilfoy, making a start in her collegiate debut, added four of her own, two of which were on target.

Four Golden Eagles made their collegiate debut: Kilfoy, Schoenberg, Aubrey Mendez and Paige Martin.

The victory improved John Brown to 54-8-4 (.848) at Alumni Field under Paulsen.

JBU will now prepare to welcome a Concordia (Neb.) and Oklahoma Wesleyan to Alumni Field next weekend as part of the JBU Classic. The Golden Eagles kick off with Concordia on Thursday (Aug. 29) at 7 p.m.

John Brown Women picked Second in Sooner Athletic Conference Poll

August 6, 2019

By JOHN BROWN SPORTS INFORMATION

Oklahoma City, Okla. – The John Brown University women’s soccer team was picked to finish as runner up in the Sooner Athletic Conference, per the release of the 2019 SAC Women’s Soccer Coaches Preseason Poll by the league office on Tuesday (Aug. 6) afternoon.

No.InstitutionPoints
1.Science & Arts (Okla.) (6)77
2.John Brown (Ark.) (4)76
3.Oklahoma City61
4.Texas Wesleyan60
5.Wayland Baptist (Texas)43
6.Mid-America Christian (Okla.)37
7.Central Christian (Kan.)36
8.Southwestern Christian (Okla.)27
9.Southwestern A.G. (Texas)20
10.Okla. Panhandle State13

In now consecutive seasons, the Golden Eagles finished just one point behind regular-season favorites and defending Sooner Athletic tournament champions, Science & Arts (Okla.). The Drovers finished with 77 points and six first-place votes while John Brown, who fell for the third time in four seasons to USAO in the tournament title match last fall, landed 76 points and four first-place votes. This season, JBU will look to piece together an unprecedented seventh-straight SAC tournament championship match appearance and third regular season title. Since 2013, the Golden Eagles have posted an incredible 44-6-5 (.845) mark in conference play under head coach Kathleen Paulsen.

John Brown completed the 2018 campaign with a 16-5-1 record after a disappointing 5-2-1 mark in SAC play. However, with three top-25 victories, including a win over No. 2 and eventual National Champion, William Carey (Miss.), JBU was poised to earn an at-large berth. The Golden Eagles did just that, and for the first time in program history, was selected to host an Opening Round match. In another program first, John Brown dispatched Kansas Wesleyan, 1-0, and finally earned its first-ever victory in the NAIA National Championships. Southeastern (Fla.) ran past the Blue and Gold in the Round of 16 as the Fire made its run to the national championship match. This season, John Brown will look to secure its first regular season championship since 2017 and its first tournament crown since 2016.

Oklahoma City picked up 61 points in the third spot, and Texas Wesleyan, the reigning regular season co-champs, polled 60 points to find fourth. Wayland Baptist (Texas) reeled in 43 points for the fifth slot, while Mid-America Christian (Okla.) came in at sixth with 37 points.

Central Christian (Kan.) was selected seventh, followed by Southwestern Christian (Okla.), Southwestern A.G. (Texas) and conference newcomers, Oklahoma Panhandle State, respectively.

Paulsen returns 15 letterwinners from last year’s squad, but signed eight newcomers – seven freshmen and a transfer – and welcomes back one medical redshirt.

John Brown’s biggest task will be to replace seniors Jastin Redman and Aspen Carpenter. The duo, which finished their careers first and second, respectively, on the program’s all-time scoring list, paced the team with 26 and 23 points apiece. Carpenter landed on the SAC first team while Redman finished on the second team. The Golden Eagles will also lose the midfield prowess of Melody Hagen (All-Conference second team) and Katherine Haar, and Annika Pollard on the back line.

Despite the losses, JBU returns junior Sienna Nealon, who seemed to score all of the Golden Eagles’ big-time goals, including the game-winners over William Carey and Kansas Wesleyan, the latter in the NAIA National Championships Opening Round. Nealon finished the season with four game-winners, tied with Redman for the team lead. Senior Kristen Howell, the only other returner with double-digit points, finished 2018 with 19 points (7 goals, 9 assists), including a two-goal burst at Texas Wesleyan in the SAC tournament semifinals, vaulting JBU to a come-from-behind victory.

Defensively, the Golden Eagles were bolstered by NAIA All-America third team selection Caitlyn Logan to a team .710 goals-against average, finishing in the top-20 in the nation. Playing all but 45 minutes of the season, Logan backstopped John Brown to 12 shutouts, second-most all-time in a single season in program history. Stopping over 80 percent of the shots fired on frame, Logan became just the second player in program history to achieve All-America status. Newcomers Chloe Griffin and Cailynn Campbell join Logan between the sticks in 2019. On the back line, Paulsen will enjoy the returns of Sarah Hughes and Paige Kula, who both earned All-Conference honors last year – first and second team, respectively.

John Brown kicks off the 2019 campaign with four consecutive home matches, including a pair of matchups with National Championships qualifiers Columbia (Mo.) and Louisiana State – Shreveport. Then, the Blue and Gold will travel to Kentucky to face off against another pair of qualifiers from a year ago in Martin Methodist (Tenn.) and Lindsey Wilson (Ky.). JBU finishes the non-conference slate with a home match with yet another qualifier in Georgia Gwinnett before tackling the Sooner Athletic gauntlet, which includes road matches at Science & Arts (Okla.) and Oklahoma City this season.