The No. 18 John Brown University women's soccer team posted four goals in the second half and completed a run that no Sooner Athletic team has done since 2010, as the Golden Eagles ran past Southwestern Assemblies of God (Texas) by a 5-1 score on Saturday afternoon at Alumni Field.
After clinching its third regular-season title in program history on Thursday, JBU needed just one more win to secure itself a place among the elite teams of SAC past. Leading scorer Aspen Robinson added two more goals while sophomores Jastin Redman, Anna Brown and senior Sara Lachance each scored in a contest that featured four goals in the last 21 minutes of play.
With the win, JBU (15-1-1, 9-0-0 SAC) became the first team since Oklahoma City in 2010 to finish the SAC gauntlet with a perfect record.
Robinson's and Redman's outputs solidified their place as the leading scorers during conference play. Robinson scored back-to-back goals in the 56th and 70th minutes of play and Redman opened the scoring with a 22 yard rip that beat SAGU keeper Kathleen Espinosa and tucked right inside the far right post in the ninth minute.
The Lions (8-10-0, 3-6-0) ruined the shutout bid in the 72nd minute when Nadine Jaimes' shot trickled through junior Sam Weber's hands. While freshman Kathryn Huff made her second-consecutive start, Huff gave way to Weber shortly after Robinson made the score 3-0 in favor of the hosts.
Lachance put the Golden Eagles up four just 30 seconds after Robinson's second of the game with a 25-yard rip. The play began when freshman Hannah Sweaney's throw in to Lachance provided her a lane to run into the middle before letting the shot go.
Sophomore Anna Brown netted her second of the season with just under eight left in the match. The reserve striker pounced on a loose ball in the goalmouth and poked it past Espinosa to complete the scoring.
Huff didn't need to make a save in just under 70 minutes of action and collected the victory and Weber made a save in her relief appearance.
The Golden Eagles will now look to its new goal, securing an SAC tournament title and, with that, an automatic berth to the NAIA National Championships. Defending its regular season title begins on Friday when JBU hosts eighth-seeded Wayland Baptist (Texas) at Alumni Field at 5:30 p.m.
After the match, the Golden Eagles honored seniors Sara Lachance, Hannah Poor and Sarah Abbott.
Sports on 11/02/2016