WATERTOWN, Wis. -- In a classic back-and-forth Midwest Region matchup, the Sabercats came away sharing the points with Emmaus Bible College, tying the Eagles 1-1 this afternoon on Parents' Day.

Grant Kirchner scored the only goal for the Sabercats, who had chances to win the game late but were left frustrated.

OVERVIEW

• Result: Maranatha 1-1 RV Emmaus
• Venue: Maranatha Baptist University
• Location: Watertown, Wis.
• Event: NCCAA Midwest Region regular season / Parents' Day
• Attendance: 131
• Record: MBU (1-12-1), EBC (5-4-2) 

STORY

With a prominent autumn wind at their backs, the Sabercats were the more dangerous-looking team in the first half, keeping the ball on Emmaus's end and creating dangerous chances. Maranatha ultimately out-shot Emmaus 11-5 in the first half, but the closest Maranatha would come was an early chance from Joseph Greene, who slammed a shot just wide from inside the box.

After a couple of halftime adjustments, the Sabercats took control early when Grant Kirchner slotted in a pinpoint finish. Kirchner collected a pass from Thomas Holloway and created space inside the Emmaus box, sliding a finish low into the left-hand corner as the keeper came out to open the scoring and give the Sabercats a lift.

⛄️ Grant time ⛄️ pic.twitter.com/CCnGIXDK8j

— Maranatha Athletics (@MBUSabercats) October 21, 2023

The Sabercats pressed for a second goal but were left wanting, and when Emmaus began to get momentum on the other end of the field, you could feel a goal coming. The goal eventually came in the 74th minute, when Josef Speichinger nodded in a finish from a Jacob Smith cross. 

The final 15 minutes hung the game on a knife edge. Maranatha's best chance came five minutes from the end of the game when they earned a penalty kick, but Michael Doese's well-struck shot was saved in spectacular fashion by Tucker Kapas in the Emmaus goal. After 90 hard-fought minutes, the points were shared in the dramatic NCCAA Midwest Region contest, and the two teams would have to wait until the NCCAA Midwest Region Tournament to settle their differences.

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Maranatha Starters: 0- Balyo, 2- T. Holloway, 3- Doese, 7- Lemon, 8- Davis (C), 9- Wright (C), 11- Beachell, 12- Greene, 18- Mixell, 19- Miller, 20- P. Holloway (C)

STATS

• Shots: Maranatha 20-8 Emmaus
• Kirchner: 10th career goal; second goal of the season
• Holloway: second career assist
• Last time: Maranatha fell to Emmaus 1-5 in the season opener on August 31, 2023
• Series: Maranatha now leads the all-time series against Emmaus 9-1-2

OPPONENTS

• Emmaus competes with Maranatha in the National Christian College Athletic Association Midwest Region (NCAA-Dlll)
• Emmaus also competes in the Midwest Christian College Conference
• Emmaus received votes in the latest NCCAA Top 10 poll
• Emmaus finished the 2022 season with a record of 6-8-2

NEXT

The Sabercats stay in Watertown, Wisconsin to take on Grace Christian for another NCCAA Midwest match-up on Tuesday at 3:00 p.m. Follow along at mbusabercats.com/schedule.