Golden Eagles roll past Evangel in first game
SPRINGFIELD, Mo. — It took just more than eight minutes into the 2022 season for the No. 11 John Brown University women’s soccer team to get on the scoreboard, leading to a lopsided 5-1 season-opening victory over Evangel (Mo.) on Saturday, Aug. 20, afternoon at Coryell Field.
Sophomore Pam Seiler scored two goals in a 1 minute, 32-second span before junior Lauren Walter’s conversion at the penalty spot in the 28th minute handed the visiting Golden Eagles (1-0) a 3-0 lead at the intermission.
Before Walter’s second goal of the afternoon off a beautiful service from transfer sophomore Kendall Kooi, freshman Lillian Johnson crashed the goal area and punched home a Seiler cross from the right side to record the first goal of her collegiate career.
Although the field was tilted, senior keeper Chloe Griffin recorded three saves on four chances, earning her first collegiate victory between the sticks.
John Brown heavily outshot the host Valor, posting a 39-7 margin, the program’s most shot attempts since Oct. 17, 2019, when it peppered Oklahoma Panhandle State with 56. That forced EU’s starting keeper Chloe Hancock to come up with 18 saves on 23 attempts before making way to back up Madison Snelson with 20 minutes remaining in the match.
Seiler’s first half brace began with a play up the left flank when junior Ryan Winingham played the ball wide to Johnson, who sent a cross into the middle to Seiler. Seiler’s shot to the far right post beat Hancock in the ninth minute. Less than two minutes later, Seiler doubled the visitors’ lead when sophomore Renny Buchanan redirected a poor goal kick into the middle to Winingham, which sent a through ball up to Seiler, allowing the striker to take a go at the left post from the middle before the defense could collapse.
Seiler completed her five-point outing when her cross from the right side landed in a trouble spot for the Valor, and Johnson won the battle to the ball and poked a shot past Hancock and incoming defender at the near right post to give JBU a 4-0 advantage.
Walter’s second of the match in the 77th minute was a beautiful finish in the box as her header cleared the outstretched keeper off the bounce. Senior Paige Martin earned the secondary assist, playing a ball back to Kooi for the service into the box from the left deep left side of the midfield.
The Golden Eagles also held the advantage in shots on goal, 25-4, and corner kick attempts, 15-2.
JBU will now rest up for its home opener, scheduled for 5 p.m. on Friday, Aug. 26, at Alumni Field as No. 22 Benedictine (Kan.) returns to Siloam Springs to face the Golden Eagles for the first time since 2014. The contest is scheduled to air live on the SAC Sports Network.