SILOAM SPRINGS, Ark. -- Sophomore Brooklyn Hendricks and freshman Katherine Keys each tallied a brace, and sophomore Julia Lambert dished out three assists, powering the top-seeded No. 19 John Brown University women's soccer team to a commanding 6-2 win over No. 21 Science & Arts (Okla.) on Monday night (Nov. 11), capturing the program's seventh Sooner Athletic tournament title in the process.
Hendricks netted her first career goal in highlight fashion, junior Aubrey Winter scored in the first minute, and senior Lauren Walter added a goal and an assist in the final 22 minutes of play in the Golden Eagles' largest margin of victory ever in a league title game.
An absolute 🚀🎯 from Brooklyn to extend the Golden Eagle lead to 2️⃣ in the championship match!!
Posted by John Brown University Athletics on Monday, November 11, 2024
The Golden Eagles (14-5-1) seized the lead within the first minute as Winter, unmarked, connected on a pinpoint cross from Lambert, putting JBU up 1-0. Senior Elise Bosma set the play up with a fantastic cross from the left flank that found Lambert at the back post, only requiring Lambert to settle the ball and then feed Winter for the tap-in to break the ice in a dream start for the hosts.
Then, with the Drovers (17-2-1) out-shooting JBU early, 5-2, the Golden Eagles broke through again in the 24th minute, doubling its lead when an incredible combination play up the right side produced a result. Keys played a ball into Bosma, who laid off a one-touch pass to an overlapping Hendricks. The sophomore then unleashed an 18-yard curling shot to the far left post and in for her first career goal.
Having worked through the Drover pushback after taking a 1-0 lead, including an incredible save from freshman Marely Fonseca on Paula Casajus to maintain the advantage, the host side cruised into the intermission with both teams attempting eight shots. Then in the second half, the flood gates opened for six goals.
JBU continued its relentless attack, and in the 51st minute, Keys cleaned up a rebound opportunity in the box off a shot from senior Kaelyn Mole to tally her first of the night, a goal that would ultimately become the game-winner, extending the lead to 3-0.
Science & Arts clawed a goal back in the 60th minute, as Paula Casajus found the net off a pass from Chiara Schillinger to bring the score to 3-1. However, JBU responded swiftly. Hendricks recorded her second goal of the night just two minutes later, converting a corner kick from junior Olivia Fish and Lambert, halting the Drovers' comeback attempt.
With momentum firmly on its side, the Golden Eagles scored again in the 69th minute when Keys completed her brace and notched her 10th goal of the season, assisted by Lauren Walter.
Although Ilse de Jong's screaming free kick from just outside the box pulled USAO back to 5-2, John Brown closed out the match with Walter's goal in the 80th minute, marking Lambert's third assist of the night after dribbling nearly 50 yards through the midfield before playing a ball to Walter for a strike to the right side of the goal.
The Golden Eagles dominated the match statistically, outshooting Science & Arts 23-12, with 15 shots on target compared to the Drovers' four. John Brown also created strong opportunities through set pieces, generating seven corner kicks to USAO's five.
Fonseca (10-2-0) anchored the defense with three saves, and became the first Golden Eagle in program history to backstop the program to a regular season and tournament title as a freshman.
With the win, John Brown moves to 6-2-1 all-time against Science & Arts in the SAC tournament finals, and will claim the Sooner Athletic's lone automatic berth into the NAIA National Championships. The 2024 squad will make the program's 11th appearance – and seventh consecutive – in the 44-team national tournament field, with the NAIA Selection Show scheduled for Saturday afternoon (Nov. 16) at 1 p.m. live via the official NAIA Portal.
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