SILOAM SPRINGS -- Two penalty kicks, two tied scores and two frantic final minutes highlighted the second Siloam Springs Opening Round semifinal, but freshman Ryan Winingham refused to entertain thoughts of extra time as she headed in a corner volley in the 89th minute, breaking a 3-3 deadlock, and sending the No. 11 John Brown University women's soccer team past No. 19 Baker (Kan.) by a 4-3 final on Thursday (April 15) evening at Alumni Field in the NAIA National Championships.
The visiting Wildcats (11-6-1) stormed back with two unanswered goals 14 minutes apart, but Winingham, who already scored earlier in the half, provided the bit of dramatics that John Brown (13-0-0) needed to not only keep its undefeated record intact, but to meet the top seed in the bracket, No. 12 Oklahoma Wesleyan, on Saturday (April 17) afternoon with a trip to Foley, Alabama on the line.
Anna Chieu's penalty kick began Baker's momentum that carried the visitors after the Golden Eagles took a 3-1 lead. Haleigh Harris' sliding kick inside the box found the left side of the goal in the 78th minute to tie the match at three. The tally marked the second time Baker had tied the match – the first coming just after the intermission ended. Kendall Staley's power move to goal and finish to the left side in the 48th minute came as a bit of a shock after JBU out-shot Baker by a 14-6 margin in the first half.
Junior Paige Kula scored the match's lone first-half goal, a penalty kick converted in the 17th minute of play. It was her fifth goal of the season.
John Brown responded well after Staley's goal in the 53rd – Winingham's first header of the contest came as a result of the nation's leading passer in Kula serving a free kick into the box that found Winingham's head just yards from goal. The service was altered slightly and flew past Vanessa Silva giving the Golden Eagles its second lead of the match.
Three minutes later, senior Sienna Nealon's long blast soared under the crossbar from the right flank – shifting the momentum entirely in John Brown's favor and placing the match seemingly out of reach for the Wildcats, making its first NAIA National Championships appearance since 2016.
But after Chieu and Staley's back-to-back markers completely shifted momentum, senior Caitlyn Logan was called to task. With the momentum entirely in Baker's favor, a defensve breakdown found Haleigh Harris all alone with Logan with the game on Harris' foot. Then Logan did her part to keep the match deadlocked at three with a diving save to her left - 15 yards out of the goal in a one-on-one situation.
That setup the late-game Winingham heroics. After sophomore Aubrey Mendez's free-kick service into the box was headed past the goal line by a Wildcat defender, senior Vanessa Reynoso subbed on to take the pivotal corner kick, and found Winingham – who had broken free – for the freshman's 10th of the season and third game-winner.
Logan's finished the contest with a season-high six saves – making three in each half – to improve to 13-0-0 on the season. Silva took the loss and made five saves on nine John Brown shots on target.
JBU out-shot Baker 22-12, but both teams put nine shots on target. Chieu led Baker with three shots, while Nealon and Winingham each finished with four apiece.
The Golden Eagles will now rest and return to action on Saturday afternoon at 2 p.m. when they will play host to top-seeded No. 12 Oklahoma Wesleyan at Alumni Field. JBU is 7-3-0 all-time against the Eagles, but OKWU defeated John Brown in overtime at Alumni Field in the teams' last encounter in 2019. The matchup will air on the SAC Sports Network.
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