SILOAM SPRINGS, Ark. -- In what appears to be a trend this season for the Golden Eagle women's soccer team, sophomore keeper Kristen Morency picked up her third shutout of the season, second-consecutive, as John Brown held onto a narrow 1-0 win over visiting Grace (Ind.) in the finale of the JBU Invitational this afternoon.
The Golden Eagles now move to 3-2-0 on the season as Morency has posted a clean sheet in all three of John Brown's victories.
The Lancers were reeling after a sound 4-1 loss on Friday (Sept. 13) to No. 12 Oklahoma City. Grace, a squad that is receiving votes in the latest NAIA National Poll, came out of the gates focused on netting the first strike. Over the first 25 minutes, Morency was forced to make three saves before the Golden Eagles were able to fire its first shot toward the Grace net.
Over the next 15 minutes, both teams traded shots, hoping to grab the first tally of the match. Freshman forward Braydi Frederick had JBU's best opportunity when she sent a shot just wide of the Lancer goal in the 26th minute of play.
Then a bizarre play happened that materialized out of what seemed a harmless play. Junior forward Laura Garcia flicked a little pass to the oncoming feet of junior midfielder Karen Sosa in the attacking third. Sosa then laid a pass back for Frederick who laid a pass out to the left flank for a streaking Whitney Brannan. Brannan's one-touch cross then deflected off the foot of a defender in the box as the ball shot top shelf, handing the Golden Eagles an unusual 1-0 lead.
JBU controlled the remainder of the first half, connecting on two more shots, one of which came from Frederick, forcing the Grace keeper to make a save.
Despite the late surge and the unusual goal, the Lancers out-shot John Brown 6-4 in the half as the Golden Eagles were only able to send one on target. Corner kicks were even at one apiece and Morency made four fine saves in the first stanza.
Morency came up big again for the hosts, making two more saves in the opening minute of the second half as the frustration for Grace continued to mount. Two shots by junior defender Adrienne Kennedy and another by Garcia were both blocked by the Lancer defense.
Grace had its best opportunity in the 72nd minute to notch the equalizer, but a Lancer forward, after beating a Golden Eagle defender wide up the left flank, cut in towards Morency. As Morency came to challenge the Grace striker, she sent the ball just over the crossbar, allowing John Brown to cling to its narrow lead.
There was little action left in the match as both teams controlled the ball in the neutral zone. After gaining some momentum, Grace earned a corner kick as the final seconds ticked away, but were unable to send a ball into play that would damage the JBU victory.
Morency (3-2-0) finished her six-save shutout performance, marking the most saves the keeper has made in a win this season. Lancer netminder Carmen Barnhill (3-5-0) took the loss in net for Grace, finishing with a pair of saves.
The Lancers finished the match out-shooting the Golden Eagles, 12-10, and also had the advantage in corner kicks, 4-2, landing a trio of opportunities in the final 45 minutes.
"I thought Grace gave us a great game and it allowed us to see some areas where we are growing and some areas where we can continue to improve on as we move forward," admitted head coach Kathleen Paulsen. "As we continue to embrace our programs vision, I believe the results will follow the resolve. We are looking forward to another great game this Tuesday against Rogers State."
The Golden Eagle's match against the Hillcats (0-3-0) will mark the first time the two program have met since RSU fled the NAIA and the Sooner Athletic Conference for NCAA II. The two programs will kick-off on Tuesday (Sept. 17) at 2:00 p.m. The last time the two programs faced each other was in the quarterfinals of the SAC women's soccer tournament last season, where John Brown stole the match in Claremore, Okla., advancing on penalty kicks after 110 minutes of play.
