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.