COLUMBIA, Ky. -- Three times No. 4 Martin Methodist (Tenn.) took the lead, and three times the No. 14 John Brown University women's soccer team responded as the Golden Eagles took the match to extra time in a 3-3 draw on Thursday evening at Walter S. Reuling Stadium on the campus of Lindsey Wilson College.
The Golden Eagles moved to 1-1-1 against NAIA top 10 competition since the start of 2018.
Freshman Paige Martin tallied her first collegiate goal that tied the match late in the first half, while junior Vanessa Reynoso's second tally of the season leveled the score at two early in the second frame. Senior Kathryn Huff poked in a low cross late in the contest to draw the teams even again at three.
Neither team could find the golden goal in extra time, but it wasn't without a bit of heroics from junior Caitlyn Logan in goal. With 80 seconds remaining in the first extra time, a long bomb from the RedHawk back line sailed over the JBU back line into the waiting feet of Yuki Watari. Watari's strike pulled Logan to her left, but the keeper made her eighth save of the match, denying MMC the game-winner.
The RedHawks (3-0-1) broke the scoreless draw first exactly 15 minutes into the match with Suzuho Yamasaki's strike from Adisa Nwawel in the middle of the box.
Despite the lopsided shot count in the first 45, the Golden Eagles responded late in the form of Martin's first goal.
In the 42nd, JBU (3-1-1) played a free kick into the box that found a chaotic chorus of feet. Martin Methodist failed to clear on the first attempt and Martin's rampage into the box ended with the ball suddenly at her feet. With momentum, she struck a shot past MMC keeper Gabby Kennedy from 12 yards to tie the score at one apiece.
Just before halftime, the RedHawks pulled the momentum back into their favor as Adisa Nwawel broke through the back line and poked a shot past Logan to mark her fourth of the season.
John Brown answered just 51 seconds into the second half in the form of Reynoso charging the back post. Junior Emily Jordan's cross from the left side was a perfect ball that Reynoso was able to get a foot on at the right post to net her second of the season and level the contest again, this time at two.
Fifteen minutes later, the center official took center stage as he whistled the Golden Eagles for a questionable foul just feet inside the 18, allowing the fourth-ranked RedHawks a chance to take the lead in the 61st minute. Ashlyn Wiggins did just that, converting the kick from the stripe to return the lead back to Methodist.
With the match winding to a close and holding tight on shot attempts, 9-7, in the second half, John Brown found new life that began with a brilliant give-and-go between senior Kristen Howell and sophomore Megan Hutto just outside the right side of the box.
Hutto laid the ball off to Howell and then split the two defenders, allowing Howell to return a pass through the RedHawk back line to Hutto alone near the goal line. Hutto took one stride towards goal and fired a pass across through the six to the waiting Huff towards the back post. Huff's poke was her first goal of the season.
The Golden Eagles held heavy possession after leveling the game for a third time and carried it over into extra time, out-shooting Methodist 3-2 in the first overtime. The RedHawks countered with a stronger second extra frame, but couldn't get striker Adisa Nwawel into a prime scoring opportunity to break the tie, as senior Sarah Hughes shadowed the attacker all evening long.
Logan finished the match with seven saves, a season high, with one more credited to the JBU back line for clearing Nwawel's attempt off the goal line in the third minute. Kennedy came up with just one save for the RedHawks in the draw.
JBU was scheduled to wrap up its trip to Kentucky on Saturday against No. 6 Lindsey Wilson. Results were not available at presstime.
The Golden Eagles are back in action this Saturday, Sept. 21, at home against Tabor (Kan.) at 5 p.m. at Alumni Field.
Sports on 09/15/2019