COLUMBIA, Mo. -- Senior Vanessa Reynoso scored the game-winner in the 68th minute and added an assist on the insurance tally as No. 9 John Brown University women's soccer defeated No. 12 Columbia (Mo.), 2-0, on Wednesday (Sept. 22) evening to improve to 2-0-0 on the road and 3-1-0 against ranked opponents.
The Golden Eagles (5-1-0) picked up another important top-25 victory in front of a raucous crowd at R. Marvin Owens Field and continued its master of the Cougars (3-3-0) as JBU moved 3-0-0 all-time against Columbia, and have won both matchups in Missouri.
The first-half stalemate saw Columbia earn a narrow 4-3 shooting advantage as both teams' keepers delivered one save, including senior Caitlyn Logan's diving save on Isabella Govero's shot that squirted past Logan and nearly crossed the goal line after another deflection. Logan leapt backwards to smother the would-be go-ahead goal just 15 minutes into the match.
John Brown broke the deadlock in the 68th minute when Reynoso danced around a defender at the top of the 18 and let go a shot that dipped just under the crossbar and over a stunned Kate Marshall to hand the Golden Eagles a 1-0 lead and break a 255:13 streak of not scoring in the run of play.
The unassisted strike was Reynoso's 12th career goal and fourth game-winner.
Four minutes after Reynoso's goal, Columbia registered a shot from Jewel Morelan, but Logan was up to the task of shutting down the Cougar response before it began.
In the 82nd, the visitors began building momentum – starting with a shot from junior Kylie Kilfoy. Two minutes later, the first of two Reynoso corner kicks didn't yield a result, but the second found the head of sophomore Ryan Winingham, who flicked the cross further to Kilfoy for a shot at the back post. Despite the heap of bodies and Marshall's attempt to block the shot, Kilfoy's kick crossed the goal line to net John Brown's insurance.
Kilfoy's second career goal all but totally deflated the Columbia attack. The Cougars couldn't register a shot toward Logan over the final 18:42 as the Golden Eagle midfield and back line clamped down on a Columbia offense that had averaged 1.6 goals per match.
For the match, John Brown outshot the Cougars, 8-7, limiting the hosts to just three shot attempts in the final 45. The Golden Eagles worked to a 5-1 advantage in corner kicks.
JBU will enjoy a six-day break from games before opening Sooner Athletic play on Tuesday (Sept. 28) when the Golden Eagles welcome Central Christian (Kan.) to Alumni Field for a 5 p.m. kickoff. The match will air live on the SAC Sports Network.
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