Golden Eagles erupt offensively with six goals

Photo courtesy of Tom Harris JBU freshman Jastin Redman, dribbles the ball through the Central Baptist College defense during Friday’s game at Alumni Field.
Photo courtesy of Tom Harris JBU freshman Jastin Redman, dribbles the ball through the Central Baptist College defense during Friday’s game at Alumni Field.

Five different John Brown women's soccer players racked up three points apiece, including starting keeper Hannah Poor, as the Golden Eagles fired 53 shots in a 6-0 victory over Central Baptist on Friday afternoon in JBU's home opener at Alumni Field.

Four different players tallied their first goal of the season, while John Brown (1-2-0) posted three goals each half in the convincing victory, its first of the 2015 season.

"I thought we scored some good goals tonight and started to develop better ideas in the final third of the field," said head coach Kathleen Paulsen. "Hopefully, it can translate into the rest of our season."

Sophomore Sara Frey began the scoring for the Golden Eagles in the ninth minute when she buried a penalty kick past CBC keeper Kalynn Simpson. The shot was deposited just under the crossbar to the right of Simpson.

In the 25th minute, freshman Anne Metz scored her first collegiate goal when she headed in a perfect cross from freshman Jastin Redman, building a 2-0 lead. Just four minutes later, the score moved to 3-0 when Redman buried her second goal of the season. Metz returned the favor with a cross that Redman finished in the box, clipping the centering pass with the outside of her foot.

The goals continued to mount for the hosts in the second half, but it began with an unlikely source. After starting the match in goal, junior Hannah Poor returned to the field, yielding the net to freshman Lauren Marsh. Poor pushed the score to 4-0 with her header in the 63rd minute of play when freshman Aspen Robinson sent senior Nicole Kosin on a run down the right flank. Kosin then played a perfect ball into the box that found the diving head of Poor.

Eleven minutes later, Poor factored into another goal. Her pass to Frey in the middle of the field jump-started an attack that eventually found Robinson just inside the box. Robinson ripped home a shot past Simpson from nearly 20 yards out to push the lead to five.

The scoring concluded in the 85th minute, courtesy of freshman Melody Hagen. A pass into the box pinballed around and finally careened of Hagen, standing as her first collegiate goal.

Poor and Marsh split time in net, but weren't called upon to make a save in the lop-sided affair. Conversely, John Brown peppered Simpson with 53 shots, forcing her to make 21 saves in the losing effort. Despite the conditions, Poor picked up her first collegiate victory in net, making her second-straight start in the wake of senior Kristen Morency's injury.

JBU's 53 shots stands as the second-most all-time, only behind the 2008 Golden Eagles squad that fired 70 shots in a 14-0 win over Harris-Stowe State (Mo.). Every player that saw the field for John Brown recorded at least a shot with Robinson pacing the JBU offense with eight.

"Tonight was a fun night with an incredible atmosphere," Paulsen added. "It was great to see the support from the community and from our JBU students and faculty. We could not be more grateful for the outstanding support."

The Golden Eagles will return to action on Saturday in Atchison, Kan., against No. 6 Benedictine (Kan.) in a 5 p.m. contest.

Sports on 08/30/2015