SILOAM SPRINGS, Ark. -- For the first time since 2012, the No. 13 John Brown University women's soccer team won't be making an appearance in the Sooner Athletic tournament championship match as upstart seventh-seeded Wayland Baptist (Texas) did just enough to survive and advance in penalty kicks after a 1-1 draw after overtime on Saturday night (Nov. 9) at Alumni Field.
While the Golden Eagles (12-3-3) still have never lost to the Pioneers (6-6-3), the visitors withstood the odds of carrying with it an 0-15-3 record into the match that actually featured Wayland taking an early 1-0 lead.
The goal was significant as WBU had been out-scored by John Brown by a 28-0 margin over the last six meetings, but Megan Attenborough's goal in the 11th minute off a feed from Mayra Sosa broke the streak and placed the second-seeded hosts in an early hole.
JBU out-shot the Pioneers by a formidable 9-5 margin through 45 minutes of play, but it was all John Brown in the second half as the hosts were determined to level the match at one.
While out-shooting Wayland by a 16-1 margin in the second half, John Brown thought it had earned a penalty kick in the 52nd minute when freshman Jenna Miller's shot in the box hit the outstretched arm of a Pioneer defender, but the officials allowed play to continue, furthering the drama of the John Brown comeback.
WBU keeper Maci Merket turned in a stellar match, including a pair of shocking stops, that kept the John Brown scorers, averaging over four goals per contest, looking desperately to break the clean sheet. Through 17 matches on the season, no team had been able to keep the Golden Eagles scoreless.
Finally in the 85th minute, a gorgeous combination play that started with sophomore Alair Love's cross from the right flank found junior Emily Jordan at the back post. In behind the Pioneer defense, Jordan dumped a short pass across to Miller who deposited her ninth of the season to the near bottom left corner of the goal past Merket.
With the momentum and a sense of relief, the squads headed to extra time.
The visitors nearly grabbed the win on the first rush down the field when Taylor Moore's initial offering was blocked. The forward grabbed the loose ball and sent a shot destined to fall just below the crossbar, but junior Caitlyn Logan's well-timed jump allowed the keeper to somehow pin the ball against the crossbar before corralling it to keep the match at a 1-1 deadlock.
Just 90 seconds later, Miller had a chance to end the match when she received a pass in prime scoring position. The freshman let go a blast, but the Wayland defense recovered just in time to block the shot before it could make its way to Merket.
In the 99th minute, the Golden Eagles thought it had found the winner off a gutty play in the box that was a result of a corner kick. However, the official whistled JBU for the foul, negating the goal. The fouls were a lopsided 14-3 in favor of the visiting Pioneers.
After a fairly pedestrian second overtime, the teams gathered for a shootout, which saw Wayland convert four of its five chances. John Brown was only able to score twice on conversions from Miller and senior Anne Metz.
Merket finished the contest with nine saves, while Logan stopped three in the draw. The shots finished 29-10, in favor of the hosts.
Up Next
With a strong resume, the Golden Eagles will look to earn an at-large berth into the NAIA National Championships. The NAIA's live selection show is scheduled to broadcast on Monday (Nov. 18) at 11 a.m.
