The JBU women’s soccer team finished conference play with a 5-win streak, facing only one loss on the season against first-seeded Science and Arts. The Golden Eagles ensure the No. 2 seed into the Sooner Athletic Conference Tournament, earning home field advantage at least through the semifinal round. The Tournament quarterfinals begin on Nov. 4 when the Golden Eagles welcome seventh-seeded Southwestern Christian to Alumni Field.
The Golden Eagles fiercely dominated the field game after game, scoring a total of 26 goals in their last 5 matches of the regular season. On Oct. 15, junior Ryan Winingham posted her first career hat-trick. Along with Winingham, junior Alyssa Henderson and the Sooner Athletic’s leading scorer, junior Lauren Walter dealt Oklahoma City a 5-1 final at Alumni Field. Senior Chloe Griffin made seven saves on eight stars shots, improving to 8-3-0 on the year.
With this match, Winingham and Griffin earned the Sooner Athletic Offensive and Defensive Player of the Week, respectively, for the first time in their careers.
The team then hit the road for their final two road matches against Mid-America Christian and Central Cristian. On Oct. 18, after an initial goal from the opposition, the women’s soccer team responded with three unanswered goals. The first goal from the Golden Eagles came in the 21st minute, scored by junior Aniyah Gibbs and assisted by sophomore Elise Bosma. Gibbs’ goal kept the match leveled on the first half.
In the second half, Walter scored her 12th goal of the season, giving John Brown a 2-1 lead in the 75th minute. Sophomore Bella Graber and Bosma set up the play, each earning an assist. Just 67 seconds later, junior Gifte Pavatt completed the 3-1 comeback win over the Evangels at Dill Field, assisted by Graber.
On Oct. 22, the women’s soccer team close off their final road match with an 8-0 win against Central Cristian. 7 different Golden Eagles scored goals, with Walter opening the tally at the 5:50 mark. Winingham, Graber, Henderson, sophomore Pam Seiler, sophomore Renny Buchanan, and freshman Lillian Johnson all added goals to complete the 8-0 victory.
The women’s team returned home from their last two matches against Southwestern A.G. and Texas Wesleyan, respectively, scoring 5 goals on each game. On Oct. 27, the Golden Eagles defeated Southwestern A.G., keeping a clean sheet for its seventh time in the season.
The team finishes its regular season on Oct. 29 with a 5-1 victory over the visiting Texas Wesleyan Rams. Walter scored two times in the match, recording her 14th and 15th goals of the season. Winingham posted her 10th of the season and the game-winner of the season. Seiler completed the scoring board with a penalty kick in the first half and another goal in the second. Seiler recorded her 8th and 9th goals for the season.
After the match, the program honored seniors Chloe Griffin, Aubrey Mendez, Paige Martin, Kylie Kilfoy and Emma Schoenberg for their contributions to the team and individual achievements over the last four seasons.
Photo Courtesy of Josie Strunk / JBU Athletics Communications