WATERTOWN, Wis. -- With a frenzy of first-half goals, the Sabercats beat the #1-seeded Emmaus Eagles today to advance to the NCCAA Midwest Region Championship.

The final will be held tomorrow at 3:00 p.m. at Maranatha and the Sabercats will duel with #3 Grace Christian University with a ticket to NCCAA Nationals on the line.

OVERVIEW

• Result: No. 4 Maranatha 2-1 No. 1 Emmaus
• Venue: Maranatha Baptist University
• Location: Watertown, Wis.
• Event: NCCAA Midwest Regional Semi-Final
• Attendance: 104
• Record: MBU (3-13-1), EBC (6-5-3) 

STORY

The game opened with chances at both ends of the field, but Maranatha had the majority of the shots and the possession, looking to be the more eager team to win it right out of the gate.

The first decisive moment came in the 18th minute, when Robbie Lemon earned a corner kick for Mike Davis, who swung in a perfect cross towards Cameron Beachell, who headed it home from inside the goal area for his first collegiate goal and a commanding opener. The Sabercats had momentum and the 1-0 lead.

But just four minutes later, Emmaus responded at the other end by earning a penalty kick that was calmly converted by Christian Anderson. Tie game.

But in immediate response to an immediate response, Michael Doese stepped up and nestled a 25-yard shot into the bottom left corner from a counter-attack, catching everybody on the field by surprise with the quick-release shot from outside the box.

�� Mike ⚽️ Cameron ⚽️ Doese… on to the FINAL �� �� pic.twitter.com/el6ZoTu6nf

— Maranatha Athletics (@MBUSabercats) November 3, 2023

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After the halftime break, the second half yielded a nervy finish. Grant Kirchner caused some problems for Emmaus on the right wing, but his efforts barely missed the corner of the net and Emmaus breathed sighs of relief. At the other end of the field, Emmaus's best chance came from hitting the crossbar about 10 minutes into the second half.

That was all the scoring that either team could come up with, as the frantic end to the game didn't really yield opportunities for either team. When the final whistle sounded, Maranatha had punched their ticket to the NCCAA Midwest Region Championship, ending Emmaus's season and looking forward to a final rematch with Grace Christian.

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Maranatha Starters: 0- Balyo, 2- T. Holloway, 3- Doese, 7- Lemon, 8- Davis (C), 9- Wright (C), 11- Beachell, 16- Kirchner, 18- Mixell, 19- Miller, 20- P. Holloway (C)

STATS

• Shots: Maranatha 16-10 Emmaus
• Doese: Team-best ninth goal of the season
• Beachell: First collegiate goal
• Last time: Maranatha tied with Emmaus 1-1 on October 21, 2023
• Series: Maranatha now leads the all-time series against Emmaus 10-1-2

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 square off with #3 Grace Christian University tomorrow 3:00 p.m. for the Midwest Region Championship. Follow along at mbusabercats.com/schedule.