SILOAM SPRINGS – The No. 21 John Brown University women's soccer team, by virtue of claiming its fifth-ever Sooner Athletic tournament crown, have earned their way into its ninth NAIA National Championships in program history as the Golden Eagles were selected to travel to the Williamsburg, Ky. bracket that features host No. 3 Cumberlands (Ky.), No. 14 Indiana Wesleyan and Indiana at Kokomo, the NAIA national office announced on Monday (Nov. 14) afternoon.
Next task: 🔓 UNLOCKED #goJBU WSOC is ready to take to the road for its 12-hour trip due east for the NAIA National Championships First Round!
Posted by John Brown University Athletics on Monday, November 14, 2022
This time, the Golden Eagles (15-4-0) enter the championship field having earned its automatic berth - the only one given by the Sooner Athletic Conference - by winning a tournament crown in full time away from Siloam Springs. Last Thursday, JBU defeated top-seeded No. 20 Science & Arts (Okla.) at McLaughlin Field by a 2-0 score in the rivalry matchup to capture its third-consecutive tournament crown.
After enjoying four consecutive seasons of serving as an Opening Round host, John Brown will instead prepare the bus to travel the 750 miles east to Williamsburg, Ky., home of the host Patriots, the same team that came to Siloam Springs in 2021 and left Northwest Arkansas with the bracket title, continuing on to Orange Beach. In the First Round, the third-seeded Golden Eagles will tangle with the second seed, Indiana Wesleyan, on Thursday (Nov. 17). Fourth-seeded IU Kokomo and Cumberlands will clash in the later event as the winners will battle on Saturday (Nov. 19). All kick-off times are to be announced, but all three contests will air live on the UC Sports Network.
HOW THIS ALL WORKS
There are ten First and Second Rounds host sites around the nation that feature two semifinals on Thursday and a final on Saturday. The ten Second Round winners will advance to the final site at Orange Beach, Ala. where the ten winners will battle in a single-elimination ten-team bracket.
Based on the final NAIA National Selection Committee picks, the four teams in each Opening Round bracket are seeded with the top and fourth seeds to play in one semifinal and the middle two seeds to play in the other. The winners will have a day of rest on Friday before facing off in the final on Saturday.
Once in Orange Beach, the seven through 10 seeds will play an extra match in the Opening Round. The winner of the 7-10 matchup will face the national two seed in the quarterfinals, with the winner between seeds 8 and 9 will advance to take on the top seeded team. |
Head coach Dr. Kathleen Paulsen has now guided the program to seven NAIA National Championships appearances in ten seasons. John Brown is 4-6-2 in eight previous appearances (2005-10-13-16-18-19-20-21), and made history in 2020 season when it advanced deeper than any other run in program history after ousting Baker (Kan.) and Oklahoma Wesleyan in the Opening Round at Alumni Field. The Blue and Gold advanced to Foley to play in the Second Round before falling in penalties to Central Methodist (Mo.), ending an undefeated 15-0-1 record-setting season.
In 2021, the Golden Eagles systematically ousted Friends (Kan.), 2-0, before falling to the Patriots by a 2-0 final in the Opening Round finals.
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