COLUMBIA, Mo. -- Senior Jastin Redman finished a cross from senior Aspen Carpenter just minutes into the second half, and the No. 24 John Brown University women's soccer team battled the elements and a late surge, but held on for a 1-0 upset of No. 10 Columbia (Mo.) at R. Marvin Owens Stadium on Monday (Aug. 20) afternoon.
The upset was the highest-ranked opponent the Golden Eagles have ever knocked off in its program history, including its first-ever win over a Top-10 NAIA program.
Columbia (0-1-0) dropped its season opener despite some late momentum, where it was able to earn three of its eight corner kicks in the contest. The Golden Eagles (2-0-0) back line held strong, and sophomore Caitlyn Logan punched out of play the best Cougar attempt with under two minutes to play, deflecting an Emma Laney service from the corner out of bounds past the near post.
Although the John Brown defense allowed six shots, the Cougars, which made an appearance in the Round of 16 in last year's NAIA National Championships, were mostly held at bay and not able to piece together any viable scoring attempts through the run of play.
Senior Annika Pollard, junior Sarah Hughes, and sophomores Emily Jordan and Paige Kula combined with Logan to post the squad's second-straight clean sheet of the season, the first time in 13 years JBU has combined to start the season with a pair of victories without yielding a goal in the first 180 minutes of play.
Sophomore Sienna Nealon recorded the best scoring chance in the first half for either team, when a pass through the Cougar back line sprung her up the right flank. Battling past her defender but dealing with a torrential downpour, her shot wasn't enough to beat CC keeper Erin Jones.
Carrying a 5-3 shooting advantage into the intermission, the Golden Eagles came out with all the momentum. Just 62 seconds into the second half, Carpenter's high cross from the right flank eluded everyone rushing the box, save for Redman at the back post. Redman chested the ball down into control and ripped a no-chance shot past Jones to collect her second of the season, and her second game-winner.
The visitors out-shot Columbia 8-6, as Redman and Kula each paced the JBU offense with a pair of shots each.
Logan moved to 2-0-0 on the season with her third career shutout. She made two saves in the win.
The Golden Eagles will now rest for its home opener on Friday (Aug. 24), where it will play hosting duties to Bellevue (Neb.) at 5:30 p.m.
