SILOAM SPRINGS, Ark. -- The No. 21 John Brown University women's soccer team closed out the regular season with a resounding 2-0 win over Oklahoma City on Tuesday evening (Oct. 29) at Alumni Field, with goals from Julia Lambert and Lauren Walter power the Golden Eagles to a share of the 2024 Sooner Athletic regular season title.
While John Brown (11-5-1, 8-1-0 Sooner Athletic) shares its eighth crown in program history with Science & Arts (Okla.) and Mid-America Christian (Okla.), the Golden Eagles earn the SAC tournament's top seed by virtual of goal differential. The Drovers and Evangels will occupy the second and third seeds, respectively.
Despite a tilted field for the entirety of the afternoon, the hosts weren't able to break through until its ninth shot attempt when sophomore Julia Lambert netted her team-leading 13th goal of the season in the 44th minute off an assist from senior Grace Bishop. Bishop's corner service never settled in the box until Lambert blasted a shot from in close, capturing her fourth game-winner of the season.
The field tilted even more in the second half, as the hosts rode the momentum from Lambert's goal into the second period. Finally, in the 63rd minute, Walter added an insurance goal, connecting with a header off a long free kick assist, served by senior Renny Buchanan, for her ninth goal of the season, giving JBU a solid advantage over the Stars.
The Golden Eagles maintained consistent pressure on both ends of the field, producing 23 total shots with six on target. Oklahoma City struggled to penetrate the Golden Eagles' defense, managing only three shots in the game and none on target. Freshman Marely Fonseca (7-2-0) recorded her seventh shutout of the season.
John Brown now has eight Sooner Athletic regular season titles, joining the squads from 2007, 2009, 2016, 2017, 2020, 2021 and 2023. The six latest crowns were captured under head coach Dr. Kathleen Paulsen.
With the victory, the Sooner Athletic Conference tournament once again goes through Siloam Springs. The league's top seed will welcome the eighth seed (yet to be determined) on Monday evening (Nov. 4) at 7 p.m. The quarterfinal contest will be carried live on the SAC Sports Network.
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