SILOAM SPRINGS, Ark. -- Freshman Sara Lachance netted a goal in each half while sophomore goalkeeper Kristen Morency made six saves, sending John Brown (12-3-0, 7-1-0 SAC) to a 2-1 victory over Mid-America Christian (Okla.) (9-7-0, 3-6-0 SAC) this afternoon at Alumni Field.
The win guarantees the Golden Eagles at least a share of the second seed in the upcoming Sooner Athletic Conference tournament. JBU closes out the season with matches at home against Northwood (Texas), currently in fifth place, and St. Gregory's (Okla.), which currently sits in 10th place.
The Golden Eagles controlled the play as soon as the afternoon started and out-shot the Lady Evangels 7-4 in the first half. Morency knocked aside a pair of MACU shots while JBU launched five shots at Mid-America Christian netminder, Kenady Maynard.
Lachance first struck in the 18th minute after freshman Hannah Poor dumped the ball off on the left flank. After temporarily losing possession, Lachance regrouped and drove past the MACU defense. She sent a low, hard shot to the bottom left corner of the net after a sharp cut into the middle of the field, handing JBU a 1-0 lead.
John Brown held a slim 1-0 advantage in corner kicks. The hosts were also whistled for just a pair of fouls while MACU was whistled for seven infraction in the first stanza.
Similar to the first half, Lachance earned an unassisted goal as a result of a rush that was keyed by Poor. Offering support up the middle, Poor ran past her defender before sending the lateral pass to an oncoming Lachance. Lachance again beat her defender and sent a shot under the crossbar for a 2-0 Golden Eagle lead in the 53rd minute.
The Lady Evangels would eventually cut the Golden Eagle lead in half, breaking Morency's bid for a fifth-consecutive shutout, when Kaci Power's goal from the top of the box found the top shelf in the 82nd minute. Fortunately for the hosts, MACU would be unable to piece together another credible scoring opportunity.
Morency (12-3-0) ended the match with six saves while her shutout streak ended at a total of 520:08, still good enough for a program record by a single Golden Eagle netminder. She has only allowed multiple goals against in one of 13 matches this year. Maynard (8-4-0) stopped seven JBU opportunities but absorbed her fourth loss of the season.
Because of the weather delay, the ladies will have only one day to rest before hosting Northwood (6-5-1, 4-3-1 SAC) on Saturday (Nov. 2) at 11:00 a.m. The match marks the final John Brown regular season home contest as the seniors will be honored right after the match's completion.
