For the first time since 2008, the women’s soccer team was victorious over a top-25 opponent after a win against Benedictine on Saturday in Atchison, Kan.
Sophomore Julie Whitlow scored the game-winning goal in the 78th minute, following freshman Braydi Frederick’s goal in the 49th minute.
Student coaching assistant Savannah Stauffer attributes the win to many factors.
“We communicated well,” Stauffer said. “We fixed problems as they came.”
The match featured plenty of fouls, one of which gave Whitlow a yellow card in the 72nd minute. John Brown University received 11 fouls, Benedictine five.
“We didn’t let bad officiating or poor sportsmanship affect our game,” Stauffer said. “We never gave up, and we came out in the second half with a sense of urgency.”
Sophomore Kristen Morency made seven saves in the match.
“Kristen had a lot of great saves, and our back line had great stops as well,” Stauffer said.
The win did come at a price, with junior Adrienne Kennedy and sophomore Nicole Kosin sustaining knee injuries. Details on the severity of the injuries have not yet been released.
With its conference games beginning this coming Saturday against St. Gregory’s, the team has a small window for preparation.
“We’re always asking ourselves what we are doing well and what we can get better at,” Coach Kathleen Paulsen said. “We take it game by game and look at how we can do better.”
“We’re focusing a lot on things we can control like ball control, movement of the ball, fitness and managing our workout load,” Stauffer said. “We’re excited to get into conference play and show off the talent God has blessed our team with this year.”
“We want to be consistent in how we are on and off the field, consistent in our style of play, work ethic, everything,” Paulsen said.