OLATHE, Kan. -- MidAmerica Nazarene (Kan.) upset the No. 22 Golden Eagles (1-1-1) this afternoon by netting a trio of goals in the final 11 minutes of the game, handing John Brown its first loss of the season at Pioneer Field this afternoon, 3-0.
The Pioneers (3-2-0) used a 17-7 shooting advantage, including an 11-3 margin in the second half, to secure the victory. MNU also posted a 5-0 edge in corner kick opportunities.
"MidAmerica Nazarene was a quality opponent and they scored some great goals," head coach Kathleen Paulsen admitted. "I thought we did a better job of connecting passes, but this game exposed many areas we need to work on and grow in."
The first half was a back-and-forth event as each team had a prime scoring opportunity. In the 11th minute, junior keeper Kristen Morency came up with a huge save when she scurried to the top of the box to meet an oncoming Kayln Pfaff, who broke in all alone. Morency times her run perfectly, as used her shoulder to deflect the would-be game-opening strike.
John Brown had an opportunity of its own to take the lead in the 29th minute as a ball served into the Pioneer box found a streaking Braydi Frederick. The sophomore forward met the ball in the air at the exact same time as MNU keeper Lexi Gochnauer. Frederick managed to get a foot on the ball, but the sprawled Gouchnauer was able to deflect the ball out of harms way.
The Pioneers earned a slight 6-4 shooting edge in the first half. Morency came up with five saves while Gochnauer collected a pair in the scoreless deadlock.
The second half was all MidAmerica Nazarene. The Pioneers peppered Morency with shots early and often. Morency collected saves in the 53rd and 63rd minutes of play to preserve a clean sheet.
However, in the 79th minute, the Golden Eagles were whistled for a foul at the top of the box, offering Kelli Reid a scoring chance from 25 yards out. Reid whistled a left-footed shot to the upper left corner of the net, beating Morency, to claim a 1-0 lead for the Pioneers.
Pushing for the equalizer, JBU allowed more MNU long runs in transition. MidAmerica Nazarene earned its insurance marker in the 83rd minute as Kayln Pfaff received a well-played ball from Misty Olsen up the middle. Pfaff made no mistake, rifling a shot past Morency on a one-versus-one opportunity.
In what seemed to be a mirror play in the 88th minute, the Pioneers close the scoring when Brenna FitzGerald sent a through ball to Kara Collins. Morency came out to challenge the play, briefly knocking the ball away from Collins. The MNU striker regrouped quickly, however, returning to her feet and kicking the ball into the open net for the finally tally of the match.
Morency (1-1-1) made a season-high seven saves in the loss for John Brown while Gochnauer needed just a trio of saves to earn her first shutout of the season.
Frederick and freshman midfielder Sara Frey each earned two shots in the loss while senior midfielder Madi Susmilch, senior midfielder Casey OBrien and junior defender Julie Whitlow combined for a shot apiece.
The Golden Eagles will return to the pitch on Friday (Sept. 12) for the JBU Invitational. John Brown will face Bethel (Tenn.) at 7:00 p.m. before taking on Oklahoma Wesleyan a day later.
