LEAD

WATERTOWN, Wis. -- After a scintillating win against Emmaus two days ago, the Sabercats had a quick and unwelcome turnaround against Lawrence University today.

The Sabercats fell to the Vikings for the fourth time in as many seasons, with today's edition settled by a score of 2-4.

OVERVIEW

• Result: Maranatha 2-4 Lawrence
• Venue: Maranatha Baptist University
• Location: Watertown, Wis.
• Attendance: 110
• Records: MBU (1-3-0), LU (2-3-0)

STORY

Lawrence's calling card was the counter-attack, as two of their goals would come just seconds after the Sabercats had a chance at the other end. The visitors got on the board in the 11th minute when Jack Morrissey's shot took an unusual bounce to beat Tim Kinzler. The goal was against the run of play, as MBU controlled the opening possessions and created some chances to score.

But just four minutes after Morrissey's goal, Asa St. Lawrence scored a thunderbolt.

The senior collected a loose ball 30 yards away from the Lawrence goal and unleashed a shot that curved into the top-right corner, leaving Hunter Lanton with no chance to save it. In spectacular fashion, the game was tied.

Lawrence had a response, however - 11 minutes after St. Lawrence's strike, the Vikings showcased their ability to execute the counter, sending in David Benjamin to finish his first of two goals on the afternoon.

Going into the halftime break, Lawrence held the 2-1 lead despite an even first half.

The visitors gave themselves an insurance goal eight minutes into the second half, and it was Benjamin again that got on the end of a long ball to score his second goal from a counter-attack. The Sabercats had possession and chances, but they had nothing to show for it.  

Lawrence added a fourth goal in the 72nd minute, but Maranatha responded promptly by earning a penalty kick at the other end. Austin DeAngelo stepped up and made no mistake, burying his 12-yard attempt to give the Sabercats a lifeline with over 15 minutes to go.

But the Vikings stopped the bleeding there by applying pressure to Maranatha late in the game. Kinzler was called on to make multiple point-blank saves late in the contest, as the Sabercats were stymied at the other end of the field.

Despite the loss, the result is a notable improvement for the Sabercats, who lost 0-6 to Lawrence in the 2018 season.

MBU Starters: 1- Kinzler, 4- Roer, 6- Burckart, 7- Nelson, 8- Campbell, 10- St. Lawrence (C), 11- DeAngelo (C), 12- Steuerwald, 15- J. Hockema, 18- Shepard, 19- C. Hockema (C)

STATS

• Shot count: Maranatha 9-20 Lawrence
• St. Lawrence: First goal of the season
• DeAngelo: second penalty-kick goal of the season
• Kinzler: 7 saves in the loss
• Last year: Maranatha took a 6-0 beating at Lawrence
• Series: Lawrence now leads the series, 3-1-1

OPPONENTS

• The Vikings compete in the Midwest Conference
• Lawrence has faced stiff NCAA DIII non-conference competition this season: Hamline, Carleton, and Wis.-Whitewater
• LU will have two more non-conference games before beginning MWC contests

NEXT

The Sabercats will continue their home stand with an NCCAA North Region matchup against Faith Baptist at 2:00 p.m. Tuesday. Watch live at mbusabercats.com/schedule.