Saturday, October 01, 2005

The Crusaders fired 15 shots on goal and got a tally in the 61st minute from Lori Johnson (Sachse, Texas/Naaman Forest) to knock off defending Mid-Continent Conference champion and pre-season favorite Oral Roberts 2-1 in Tulsa, Okla. Saturday night.

Johnson scored for the fourth time this season off a corner kick from freshman sensation Kendall Brown (Lake Zurich, Ill./Carmel) to break a 1-1 tie and give Valpo some revenge against the team that beat them in the 2004 Mid-Con tournament championship match.

It was Brown herself who got the Crusaders started, scoring for the eighth time this year in the 21st minute off an assist from senior Emily King (Colona, Ill./United Township). Brown's eight goals tie her for the third most in school history with Lori Moore, who had eight in 2002. No Crusader freshman has ever scored as many goals as Brown has, and she is now three behind the single-season mark of 11, set by Moore in 2000.

2004 Mid-Con Player of the Year Jessica Kellogg tied the match for ORU (6-6-0, 1-1-0), scoring 29 seconds after Brown's goal. Kellogg, the conference's all-time leading scorer, now has seven goals in 2005.

Valpo out-shot the Golden Eagles 21-16, with a decided 15-6 advantage in shots on goal. Erin Murray earned the win for Valpo, improving to 6-4-1, while Shelbi Morrison took the loss for ORU despite making 13 saves.

The Crusaders (6-4-1, 2-0-0), picked to finish tied for fourth in pre-season polls, now sit alone atop the Mid-Con and will return to action Friday at Eastgate Field to take on Centenary. The match is scheduled to begin at 3:30 p.m. and can be heard live on 95.1 FM, WVUR, or online at www.valpo.edu/athletics.