JBU women’s soccer players garner recognition
■ Caitlyn Logan named the league’s top goalkeeper.
Sophomore Caitlyn Logan has been named the Sooner Athletic Conference’s Goalkeeper of the Year as the John Brown University women’s soccer team saw seven studentathletes recognized to AllSAC teams for their stellar play this season, the conference office announced Tuesday, Nov. 6.
Senior Aspen Carpenter and junior Sarah Hughes joined Logan in bringing home All-SAC first team honors. Seniors Jastin Redman and Melody Hagen along with sophomores Sienna Nealon and Paige Kula were all named to the second team.
Logan started all 16 contests in goal for the Golden Eagles this season, posting a conference-best .570 goals-against average and a league-leading 10 shutouts. The Charlotte, N.C., native has stopped 52 of 61 opponent shots on target, boasting a
.852 save percentage. She made a season-high seven saves, twice, in wins over No. 2 William Carey (Miss.) and No. 14 Oklahoma Wesleyan. In John Brown’s six matches against NAIA Top 25 competition, Logan posted a 4-2-0 record and averaged four saves per game, a 1.33 goals-against average. It was Logan’s first career first-team selection and superlative honor.
Carpenter made an appearance on the list for the fourth time in her career, twice on the second team and now twice on the first. The Littleton, Colo., native posted six goals and six assists (18 points), finishing second on the team in scoring. She finished the regular season strong with a fourpoint outing at Central Christian (Kan.) and a sixpoint effort against Southwestern Assemblies of
God (Texas), both lopsided
John Brown victories. Carpenter started 14 of 16 contests, and when she shot on goal, she scored at a high rate — netting six of her 13 shots on target, nearly 50 percent.
Hughes was the backbone of the John
Brown defensive back corps that averaged just 8.8 shots against per contest and boasted a .550 goals-against average, just outside the top 10 in the nation. The Albuquerque, N.M., native starting all 16 contests and logging a team-high 1,288 minutes out of a possible 1,416 — playing 91 percent of the time. She helped the team to 10 clean sheets, four shy of the nation’s leaders. It was Hughes’ first AllSAC honors of her career.
While not posting the numbers of previous seasons, Redman still carved out a season that saw her place in the top five of the league’s scoring leaders (points per game) and pace the high-powered JBU offense for the fourth consecutive season. In 2018, Redman racked up nine goals and three assists (21 points), including four game-winning strikes. The Littleton, Colo., native tallied goals against top programs such as Mobile (Ala.) and Southeastern (Fla.) and also added important goals in the conference slate, like game-winners in a key 1-0 win at Wayland Baptist (Texas) and the winner at Southwestern Christian (Okla.). The reigning SAC Offensive Player of the Year will graduate a three-time All-Conference first team selection and John Brown’s all-time leading scorer in program history.
Hagen, a North Richland
Hills, Texas, native, stepped into an important midfielder role in her senior campaign and the dividends paid off. Logging more than 1,160 minutes, she posted six points this season, accumulating helpers in key contests against Missouri Valley, No. 2 William Carey (Miss.) and the game-winning assist in a 1-0 win over No. 14 Oklahoma Wesleyan. Earning her first-career All-SAC mention, Hagen started all 16 contests for the Golden Eagles.
Nealon made her mark early in the season by securing three gamewinning goals in John Brown’s first six contests of the year. At the time, all three of Nealon’s goals were game-winners, helping John Brown to watershed victories over Bellevue (Neb.), No. 2 William Carey and No. 12 Mobile (Ala.). Since then, Nealon has finished the regular season with six goals and five assists (17 points), third on the team in scoring. The first-team selection last season started 11 of 16 contests scored 25 percent of JBU’s gamewinning goals.
Kula lands her first-ever All-SAC selection by starting all 16 contests on the season and logging 1,194 minutes on the back line. Alongside Hughes, Kula led the back line to an 8.8 shots against per contest average and a .550 goalsagainst average. Boasting 10 shutouts, Kula also had a hand in the offensive effort, posting one goal and three assists (5 points) and notched the game-winner at Central Christian (Kan.) during conference play.