Overview

• Result: MBU 2-1 FINNU
• Venue: McAfee Field
• Attendance: 112
• Record: Sabercats are now 3-2 
• Next Game for MBU: Tuesday, September 19 at 4 p.m. vs Ripon

HANCOCK, Mich. -- The Sabercats Men's Soccer Team made it a 2-win week with a 2-1 win over Finlandia University this afternoon, as goals from Tyler Nelson and Eric Fausto lifted MBU to the comeback win on the road. With the win, the Sabercats improve to 3-2 while the Lions stand at 1-3.

The hosts struck first, and the goal broke their frustration of being denied by a diligent Andrew Taylor, who had turned away 7 shots in the MBU goal through the opening 40 minutes. In the 41st minute, the Lions executed a well-rehearsed counter attack, which finished with a looping header from Patrick Miles off an Osvaldo Cruz cross.

The Lions attempted to increase their lead with 14 shots throughout the first half, but Taylor and the Sabercats allowed just one to end up in the back of the net.

Down 1-0 going into the second half, it took the Sabercats just 7 minutes to find the equalizer. Nathan Akers sent in a free kick towards the back post, which was headed invitingly across the goal by Steven Thompson towards Eric Fausto. Fausto knocked it right back into traffic to Tyler Nelson, who finished calmly from the top of the 6-yard box to tie the game.

The Sabercats kept the pressure on for the next few minutes, and the persistence paid off when Fausto took his chance to put his own name on the scoresheet. After a perfectly-weighted pass from Akers sent Fausto into the box, the sophomore made no mistake in passing the ball into the corner of the net beyond a hard-charging Ricardo Almanza. The quick comeback included 2 goals in 7 minutes. Advantage: MBU.

The Lions did not go down without a fight, and they procured 3 more chances to equalize late in the game. Taylor remained up to the task, as he saved each chance to finish the day with 10 saves to his name.

"I was very excited about the guys' performance today - we stayed focused and tight as a team," said Coach Jeff Pill after the game. "We played with excellence and showed a lot of grit to come back from a 0-1 deficit against a team that plays with a lot of passion and commitment. We had two very good goals, and I was pleased with how we started to possess the ball with greater consistency as the game went on. We look forward to our next test against Ripon on Tuesday."

This was just the third meeting between the Sabercats and the Lions. Maranatha holds a 3-0 advantage in the series with today's result.

The Sabercats' next matchup will be at home against Ripon College this Tuesday at 4 p.m. Catch coverage details of the game at mbusabercats.com/composite.