SILOAM SPRINGS, Ark. -- In its fourth contest in five games against ranked opposition this season, the John Brown womens soccer team (1-4-0) took No. 15 Grace (Ind.) to halftime deadlocked at two, but a Lancer strike in the 50th minute proved to be enough as JBU fell 3-2 on Thursday (Sept. 10) at Alumni Field in the second match of the JBU Invitational.
Sophomore Samantha Weber and junior Sara Lachance each tallied their first goals of the season, handing the Golden Eagles the lead twice, but every time Grace (6-0-0) had a response, including the game-winner early in the second half.
â€Tonight was by no means perfect, but I thought it was a huge step in the right direction,†said head coach Kathleen Paulsen. “I think its a place where we build from and make progress, especially defensively. I was proud of the collective effort tonight.â€
The Golden Eagles found the scoreboard first in the fourth minute when Weber collected a loose ball in the box and chipped a shot to the bottom right corner from three yards out. Freshman Jastin Redman collected her team-leading eighth point of the season with the assist.
The goal also broke the Lancers shutout effort on the season, as Grace had not conceded a goal against in its first five matches.
The visitors responded four minutes later as Meghan Wiles scored her first of two goals in the first half. Wiles took a pass from Aubrey Feipel through the middle and broke in alone on junior goalkeeper Hannah Poor, depositing the match-tying shot into the left side from five yards out to tie the score at one.
Exactly at the 16:00 mark, Lachance buried a shot from the right side of the box, a roller to the left corner, finishing a beautiful play began by freshman Aspen Robinson. Robinson fed the ball to Redman who cut through the middle of the field before dumping a pass to Lachance.
Similar to the second goal, Grace responded exactly five minutes later as Wiles unleashed a shot from 20 yards out. The strike that began at the top of the box rocketed into the right corner past Poor, again deadlocking both teams at two apiece.
John Brown nearly took a 3-2 lead in the 41st minute. Freshman Anna Brown received a perfect cross from Robinson and was one-on-one with Lancer keeper Abby Schue, but the one-touch shot found Schues body as she came out to block the attempt. The visitors held an 8-5 advantage in shots at the half.
Shortly after the second stanza began, GCs Mallory Rondeau beat her assigned defender up the left flank and let a shot go from eight yards out. Another JBU defender was able to get a piece of the ball, but the shot ricocheted past Poor, marking the matchs game-winner in the 50th minute.
John Brown was only able to fire one shot on goal over the final 20 minutes, a Redman blast from the right flank that Schue was able to collect. The Lancers out-shot the hosts 15-7 on the evening.
With the win, the Lancers continue its undefeated season as Schue (6-0-0) recorded three saves in the win. Poor (1-3-0) tallied six saves in the loss for the Golden Eagles.
John Brown will return to the pitch on Saturday (Sept. 12) when it welcomes Kansas Wesleyan to Alumni Field in the final game of the JBU Invitational at 7 p.m. The Coyotes (3-2-0) took a 1-0 decision from Oklahoma City in the first match of the Invitational.
