WATERTOWN, Wis. -- The Sabercats may have been down to one substitute, but they put up a fight and came out on top to open the 2020 season with a regional win.

With goals from Amy Montgomery, Alexis Sponable, and Taylor Moses, the Sabercats topped Faith Baptist 3-2 to make a statement at the start of the 2020 season.

OVERVIEW

• Result: Maranatha 3-2 Faith
• Venue: Maranatha Baptist University
• Location: Watertown, Wis.
• Attendance: 63
• Record: MBU (1-0-0), FBBC (0-1-0)

STORY

The two teams were as persistent as the steady September rain, as both sides created chances in the opening half an hour. Faith got on the board first when Sydni Streich nodded in Allison Yuan's cross to give the visitors a 1-0 lead.

But the Sabercats responded almost immediately. Amy Montgomery dribbled for a good 30 yards around the Faith defense before firing a left-footed shot that sailed into the far corner. Going into halftime, it was fitting that the teams were deadlocked. 

The second half yielded one-way traffic for the opening 15 minutes. The Sabercats piled on the pressure, and they were rewarded when Alexis Sponable intercepted a pass at the top of the Faith penalty area before rifling her shot into the top corner. Five minutes later, Sponable became the provider, as she set up Taylor Moses on a breakaway. Moses calmly jinked past the Faith goalkeeper before slotting the ball into the gaping net. The Sabercats had their insurance.

Just two minutes later, the Eagles made the Sabercats draw on that insurance policy. Yuan and Streich combined again, as Streich sent her shot into the corner from the top of the box. Just like that, it was back to a one-goal game.

Down the stretch, the Sabercats sealed out their hard-fought win. Trisha Wright made two saves down the stretch to frustrate the Eagles' attempts, and the Sabercats closed out a big regional win to start the 2020 season.

MBU Starters: 0- Wright, 2-Willette, 6- Montgomery (C), 8-Bishop, 11- Torres, 13- Bagin (C), 14- Sponable (C), 15- Massey, 16-Vander Pluym, 17- Moses, 19- Steuerwald

STATS

• Shot count: Maranatha 13-6 Faith
• Sponable: 1 goal, 1 assist
• Moses: 1 goal, 4 shots
• Montgomery: 1 goal
• Wright: 4 saves
• Streich (Faith: 2 goals
• Yuan (Faith): 2 assists
• Last year: Maranatha won 1-0 at home and lost 0-2 on the road
• Series: Maranatha now leads the all-time series 8-1

OPPONENTS

• Faith competes with the Sabercats for the NCCAA North Region
• Faith had a record-setting season last year, finishing in 3rd at the NCCAA National Tournament

NEXT

The Sabercats will travel to St. Paul, Minnesota to take on Northwestern (NCAA DIII) next Thursday at 5:00 p.m. Find gameday details at mbusabercats.com/schedule.