CENTENNIAL, Colo. -- Competing without All-American goalkeeper Marely Fonseca, the No. 3 John Brown University women's soccer team put up a gutsy fight before falling 4-2 to No. 3 College of Idaho on Saturday night (Sept. 6) at LPS Centennial Stadium.
Despite the early adversity, John Brown actually outshot the Coyotes 13-12 and twice clawed back from multi-goal deficits. Junior Addie Craig got things started with her third goal of the season in the 17th minute, and Julia Lambert's strike in the 73rd made things interesting down the stretch at 4-2.
The Golden Eagles (2-1-1) suffered its first defeat of the season, while the Yotes improved to 3-1-0 in 2025.
College of Idaho jumped on the Blue and Gold early, with Abbi Roubidoux and Gianna Yslava finding the net in the first 12 minutes. But credit to sophomore goalkeeper Sunnie Woodard – the emergency starter made four saves and kept JBU within striking distance all evening.
Craig's response was immediate. Just five minutes after Idaho's second goal, she finished beautifully off a Katherine Keys assist to cut the deficit in half.
The second half brought more of the same drama. When Eden Makaafi restored CI's two-goal lead in the 62nd minute, and Roubidoux added her second just four minutes later, the writing seemed on the wall. But Lambert had other ideas, ripping home her third goal of the year to make it 4-2.
Yotes goalkeeper Alivia Brenchley made five saves on seven chances, while Woodard (0-1-1) made four saves on eight opportunities. In a nearly even distribution shots, the Golden Eagles fired off seven shots on frame but the Yotes were clinical scoring four out of their eight shots on target.
John Brown finished the match with a 13-12 shooting advantage, as the sides both attempted a pair of corner kicks over the 90-minute contest.
Returning home for two matches in four days, JBU will welcome Evangel (Mo.) to Alumni Field on Wednesday evening (Sept. 10) for a 6 p.m. start time before taking on No. 15 Oklahoma Wesleyan in a rivalry match Saturday evening (Sept. 13) at 7 p.m. The SAC Sports Network and the Urban Edge Network will carry both games live.
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