Lachance’s hattrick solidifies 7-0 steamrolling of Wayland in Quarterfinals
SILOAM SPRINGS, Ark. -- Similar to last season, senior Sara Lachance poured in three goals while sophomore Jastin Redman added a pair, and top-seeded and No. 16 John Brown University used a four-goal second half to run away with a 7-0 win over eighth-seeded Wayland Baptist (Texas) on Friday (Nov. 4) evening in the Sooner Athletic Conference tournament quarterfinals at Alumni Field.
The Golden Eagles (16-1-1) cemented its place in the SAC tournament semifinals with the victory for the fifth-consecutive season and will welcome fourth-seeded St. Gregory's (Okla.) to Alumni Field on Monday (Nov. 7) at 5:30 p.m.
"When we played St. Gregory's last time, they were missing three key players," noted head coach Kathleen Paulsen. "We're going to see a different team this time and we need to be ready for that."
After scoring a hattrick against Texas Wesleyan in quarterfinal action last season, Lachance stepped up and buried her second-career hattrick, including a pair of goals in the final 13 minutes of play to cement the lopsided victory.
Her first two tallied came as a result of a restart. In the 26th minute, Lachance shouldered in an Aspen Robinson corner kick and in the 78th minute, she used to head to deflect in a Kathryn Huff free kick from deep in the right flank.
Arguably the most impressive goal of the night was Lachance's second tally in the 83rd minute when she cleaned up a rebound from a tough angle. After WBU keeper Bailey Stengler made a nice save on freshman Hannah Sweaney, Lachance tracked down the ball and, while falling away from the goal, floated in a perfectly-placed rebound shot just below the crossbar and out of the scrambling Stengler's reach.
The three goals bumped Lachance to nine on the season, and her second game-winner, while Robinson and Huff added helpers on the strikes.
Redman, meanwhile, finished off a long free kick from sophomore Annika Bos in the box in the 40th minute, building John Brown's 3-0 lead before the break. Bos' kick landed at the six-yard box as Redman collected the ball, turned, and ripped her 14th of the season past Stengler.
In what was easily the most beautiful strike of the evening, Robinson added her second assist of the game in the 60th minute when she laid off a pass to Redman in the middle of the field. Redman took a few strides and stepped into a monster shot from 28 yards that traveled with such velocity, Stengler didn't even attempt to save it.
Robinson completed her four-point game with a goal in the 38th minute while sophomore Anna Brown collected her third of the season in the 56th minute, as a result of tracking down an errant Baptist back-line square ball which she turned into a one-on-one with Stengler. Leaving her defender well behind her, Brown unleashed a shot from the right side that beat Stengler to the short post, handing the hosts a 4-0 lead.
The first 20 minutes of the match were fairly even as both teams registered scoring chances. However, once Lachance's first of the night started the Golden Eagle scoring machine, the game was quickly placed out of reach.
"Sara (Lachance) comes up big whenever we get into the conference tournament," added Paulsen. "The first 20 minutes we were kind of a panic, but once we settled down we seemed to fall into our style.
With the win, the Golden Eagles moved to 11-0-3 all-time against Wayland Baptist (4-11-2) and continue the program's most successful season in terms of win percentage.
Senior Kristen Morency (14-1-1) returned to goal after a two-match absence, making four saves in her ninth shutout of the season. In Stengler's final collegiate match, she made seven saves on 14 JBU shots on target.
