HATTIESBURG, Miss. -- Freshman striker Jastin Redman tallied her first collegiate goal in the first half, but a pair of Sue Kumaning second-half headers helped No. 9 William Carey (Miss.) escape John Brown (0-1-0) tonight in both team's season openers.
Both teams fired four shots on goal in the first half, including Redman's unassisted tally in the 42nd minute of play. Off a set piece just outside the box, Redman fired home her first collegiate goal past WCU goalkeeper Natalie Saunders (1-0-0) to give the Golden Eagles (0-1-0) a 1-0 lead.
Despite a lengthy lightening delay that forced a pause in the action, senior keeper Kristen Morency (0-1-0) piled up four first-half saves as the Golden Eagles took to the half with a 1-0 lead.
Things changed in the second half, however, when the Crusaders began the second half with five shots in the first 10 minutes, leading to a 12-3 shot advantage in the final frame. Finally in the 58th minute, Kumaning redirected a Shelby Gililand pass to tie the score at one a piece.
The 81st minute saw the match's game-winner when Kumaning struck again, heading home a Josefin Karlsson corner kick to place Carey in the lead, 2-1. The Golden Eagles had one last chance to tie the game in the 89th minute, but Saunders stopped a Redman free kick to preserve the win.
"I thought today was a good game," said head coach Kathleen Paulsen. "While we might not have earned the results we were hoping for, I thought it was a productive game and a great learning experience. We are a young team with many players in new positions and I thought the girls adapted well to the changes that were thrown their way.
"I think we will get better and better with time. The turn around is quick for us and we are looking forward to playing a very good Mobile team tomorrow."
Redman fired five of JBU's seven shots while freshmen Aspen Robinson and Melody Hagen accounted for the other two. William Carey (1-0-0) was paced by five shots from Gililand and four from Kumaning. WCU owned the shots on goal struggle, 8-3, and the total shots, 16-7.
Junior Hannah Poor took over in net for Morency in the 86th minute due to an apparent injury. Poor finished out the match without facing a shot.
John Brown now moves to 0-3-0 all-time against the Crusaders and 6-22-6 all-time against ranked opponents.
The Golden Eagles will return to action tomorrow against No. 10 Mobile (Ala.). The match against the Rams is set for 5 p.m.
