SILOAM SPRINGS, Ark. – Wayland Baptist suffered its first Sooner Athletic Conference loss of the season here Saturday, falling in women's soccer to eighth-ranked John Brown University, 3-0.
"The girls played a really solid game today," WBU coach
Shiloh Posey said. "We played a really great team today and did all we could do."
The loss slipped the Pioneers (6-2-2, 3-1-1 SAC) into a tie for fourth place in the conference standings, while the Golden Eagles (10-2-1, 5-0) remained unbeaten in the league with their seventh straight win.
Wayland, experiencing its best start in program history, played perennial power JBU to a scoreless halftime tie.
"The first half we battled with them toe-to-toe," Posey said.
The Golden Eagles got their first goals from Megan Hutto, first in the 52
nd minute then again in the 60
th minute. On the first, Posey said, "The ball broke through our back line. (Goalkeeper
Maci Merket) came out and the ball bounced a bit funny, and the John Brown player toe-poked it over her head."
The second goal saw Hutto score from six yards out after a shot hit off the post. They were Hutto's fifth and sixth goals of the season.
JBU final goal was an own goal in the 70
th minute. Posey said a cross from the right wing hit the thigh of a Wayland player, deflecting it into the goal.
"The girls never quit," Posey said. "Everybody played their tails off. I couldn't ask for better effort."
The Pioneers managed five shots, two on-goal, compared to JBU's 13 shots, five of which were on-target.
"I can't say enough about the way we defended. You're going to defend a lot when you play JBU anyway, and the girls did a great job today," Posey said.
Wayland returns home for its final two regular-season home games next week against Southwestern Christian (4-9, 3-5) at 4 p.m. Tuesday then Oklahoma City (7-6, 3-2) at 1 p.m. Saturday, which will be Senior Day.
Posey said the Pioneers must "regroup.
"I'm looking forward to getting back to a win. We'll give it our best effort and hopefully a win is the result," Posey said.
