FT. WORTH, Texas -- Junior Adrienne Kennedy notched her first goal of the season and sophomore Kristen Morency collected five saves to earn John Brown (11-3-0, 6-1-0 SAC) a 1-0 double-overtime victory tonight over Texas Wesleyan (10-3-2, 4-3-1 SAC) tonight at Martin Field.
Kennedy's extra-session tally was her second career game-winning goal as the defender scored with 18 seconds left in the match, vaulting the Golden Eagles into a tie with No. 19 Oklahoma City for a share of the Sooner Athletic Conference lead.
"That was a great game from both teams tonight," recalled head coach Kathleen Paulsen, who is the only coach in program history to record double-digit wins in her first season at the helm. "I was really proud of the effort the girls put in tonight. That was not the prettiest soccer we've ever played, but in the middle of that, they made the decision to fight, to grind and show resolve. There's nothing more I could ask for."
The first half featured back-and-forth action as both squads fired six shots each. The Lady rams landed four on target, compared to JBU's trio of attempts, forcing Morency to push aside all four TWU opportunities. Wesleyan's Nikki Lockwood was equal to the task, maintaining the clean sheet for the hosts by scooping up three saves in the first stanza.
The second half was all Golden Eagles as JBU began to put on the pressure. Seven different John Brown players fired shots toward the Lady Ram net over the second 45 minutes, but were unable to score. Lockwood came up with another three saves while Morency made her lone save in the 64 minute. The Golden Eagle defense also assisted Morency's cause, blocking three TWU shots in the box to maintain the shutout.
With 20 seconds to play in regulation, junior Madi Susmilch drew a foul which preceeded a pair of Golden Eagle chances. Freshman Savannah Beth's bid to end the match was blocked in the box before a second from junior Casey O'Brien sailed just over the net as time expired.
O'Brien had John Brown's best opportunity in the first extra session, sending a shot from the left wing towards the Lady Ram net. Lockwood would come up with the save, but freshman Sara Lachance's attempt two minutes later almost ended it again in favor of JBU. Wesleyan responded in the second overtime with a flurry of opportunities in the Golden Eagle third of the field in the 102nd minute. Another timely defensive block rejected the hosts' victory bid before another chance from the Lady Rams flew just right of the John Brown net.
After slowly regaining possession and momentum, Kennedy fired a shot from the far left flank in the 106th minute. Although Lockwood recorded her eight save of the game, it would be her last.
With time waning and a tie looming, the Golden Eagles finally caught a break. John Brown caught Wesleyan's back line on its heels in transition when freshman Braydi Frederick's clear moved the ball into the offensive side of the field. The clear found the awaiting foot of Kennedy on the left flank who then beat a pair of TWU defenders before sending a strike to the left side of the net, ending the match.
John Brown held advantages in shots (21-13), shots on goal (9-5) and corner kicks (6-4).
Morency (11-3-0), the reigning SAC goalkeeper of the year, continues her career season as she ended the match with five saves. With the two wins on the weekend, she eclipses her personal-best nine wins from last season and extends the Golden Eagle shutout streak to four consecutive matches, totaling 438:23. Morency's seventh clean sheet this season ties her 2012 total output. Lockwood (9-3-1) absorbed the loss for Texas Wesleyan, ending the match with eight saves.
The Golden Eagles will now rest until Wednesday (Oct. 30) when it welcomes Mid-America Christian (Okla.) to Alumni Field for a 1:00 p.m. tilt.
