SILOAM SPRINGS, Ark. -- The No. 14 John Brown University women's soccer team broke through twice in the final four minutes of the opening half before adding two more after the interval, overwhelming Texas Wesleyan, 4-0, in the Sooner Athletic opener Saturday afternoon (Sept. 26) at Alumni Field.
John Brown (5-1-2, 1-0-0 SAC) controlled nearly every facet of the match, outshooting the Rams 32-1 with a 15-1 advantage in attempts on frame and an 8-0 edge in corner kicks.
Texas Wesleyan's only shot came in the sixth minute, leaving freshman goalkeeper Ansley Fuchs and the Golden Eagle back line to shut down the visitors over the final 84 minutes as Fuchs collected her fifth clean sheet of the season.
Despite spending virtually the entire opening half on the front foot, JBU had to wait until the 42nd minute for the breakthrough. Texas Wesleyan goalkeeper Adriaa Hardy made five saves before junior Katherine Keys finally found a way past her.
Junior Bella Mendieta played a ball over the top of the Ram defense, allowing Keys to run onto the service and rifle a 12-yard finish into the upper portion of the goal at 41:12. The strike was Keys' sixth of the season and ultimately stood as the game-winner.
The Blue and Gold needed just over two minutes to double the advantage. Jones drove a centering pass into a dangerous area in front of goal, where the Texas Wesleyan defense redirected the ball into its own net at 43:15 to send the hosts into the interval ahead 2-0.
John Brown maintained the attacking pressure after halftime, piling up 18 more shots and forcing Hardy into another six saves.
The margin grew to three in the 68th minute after the Golden Eagles built down the left side of the penalty area. Freshman Sophia Alvarado laid the ball off to sophomore Kayah Robbins, who sidestepped a defender before lacing a pass across the goalmouth for senior Addie Craig to bury at the back end of the move, her third strike of the campaign.
Jones put the finishing touch on the afternoon at 76:08. Senior Brooklyn Hendricks sent a pass over the top of the Ram back line, releasing Jones behind the defense. The junior slipped the ball through Hardy's legs before collecting it on the other side and tapping into the open goal for her fifth of the season.
Keys, sophomore Joy Long and Jones each generated four shots to pace a balanced John Brown attack, while Hendricks placed all three of her attempts on frame.
Hardy finished with 11 saves in the loss while facing constant pressure from the hosts.
At the opposite end, Fuchs (5-1-2) needed just one save to preserve the shutout, impressively turning aside Jimena Aguilar in the sixth minute before the JBU defense prevented Texas Wesleyan (3-5-1, 0-1-0 SAC) from recording another attempt.
The league slate continues Tuesday afternoon (Sept. 29) when the Golden Eagles travel to Bethany, Okla., for a 1 p.m. matchup with Southwestern Christian (Okla.) at Cagle Family Field. The contest will be carried live on the Urban Edge Network and the SAC Sports Network.
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