SILOAM SPRINGS, Ark. -- Four different players scored and junior Tianna Jones supplied two assists as the No. 17 John Brown University women's soccer team overwhelmed Texas Wesleyan, 4-0, in the Sooner Athletic tournament quarterfinals Tuesday evening (Nov. 3) at Alumni Field.
The victory sent John Brown (13-1-3) to the tournament semifinals for the seventh consecutive season and extended its winning streak over Texas Wesleyan to eight matches.
John Brown produced 37 shots and controlled long stretches of the match, but carried only a 1-0 advantage into halftime after the Rams generated two legitimate scoring chances of their own. The Golden Eagles then broke the match open with three second-half goals while limiting Texas Wesleyan to a single attempt after the interval.
Junior Katherine Keys supplied the breakthrough in the 8th minute after a flurry in front of goal. Jones drove an initial attempt toward the left post that goalkeeper Adriaa Hardy stopped, and Keys was denied on the rebound before staying with the play and heading the bouncing ball across the line for her team-leading 11th goal of the season.
Despite JBU's pressure, Texas Wesleyan (4-10-4) threatened twice during the opening half. Amelia Roach had an attempt blocked in the 14th minute before Maribel Vargas forced freshman goalkeeper Ansley Fuchs into a save two minutes later.
The Golden Eagles continued to pepper the Ram goal from there, generating 16 first-half shots and forcing Hardy into seven saves while the TXWES back line added a defensive stop. Still, JBU went to the interval protecting the narrow one-goal margin.
That changed quickly after halftime, however, as Jones created the second in the 49th minute, sending a ball into the area from the left flank for senior Julia Lambert. Left unmarked five yards from goal, Lambert headed the service inside the near post for her seventh goal of the campaign.
The two-assist performance marked Jones' third match this season with multiple helpers. John Brown is 3-0-0 in those contests and has outscored its opponents 14-2.
JBU continued piling on pressure throughout the second half, eventually finding a third from a restart in the 76th minute. Keys delivered a perfectly weighted ball from midfield into the penalty area, where senior Clare Barger met it eight yards from goal and headed home her fourth of the season.
Sophomore Andi Riley finished the scoring in the 86th. Freshman Sian Fairfield – making her first-career start – threaded a pass through the Wesleyan back line to release Riley one-on-one, and the sophomore cut toward goal before driving her finish into the bottom-right corner for her fifth of the year.
John Brown finished with a 37-3 advantage in shots, including a 16-1 edge on frame, and earned all eight corner kicks. The Golden Eagles generated 21 attempts after halftime alone.
Keys finished with a goal and an assist on five shots, while Jones contributed two helpers and four attempts. Senior Addie Craig and sophomore Joy Long each added four shots, and Lambert put all three of her attempts on frame.
Fuchs (13-1-3) made one save to secure the clean sheet, her 10th of the season. Hardy finished with 11 stops for the Rams, while the Texas Wesleyan defense added another save off the line.
Top-seeded John Brown remains at Alumni Field for Friday's (Nov. 6) semifinal round, where the Golden Eagles will face fourth-seeded Oklahoma City in a rematch of JBU's 5-1 regular-season finale victory. Kickoff is slated for 7 p.m., with the SAC Sports Network carrying the postseason action live.
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