LINCOLN, Ill. -- Two free kicks from Braeden Hansel and a 30-yard rocket from Kyle Cummins gave the Sabercats a big 3-1 win over Lincoln Christian Saturday.

It was Hansel's first career goal(s) and Cummins now leads the team with three goals on the season.

OVERVIEW

• Result: Maranatha 3-1 Lincoln Christian
• Venue: Lincoln Christian University
• Location: Lincoln, Ill.
• Attendance: 85
• Record: MBU (2-2-0), LCU (0-1-0)

STORY

The Sabercats got on the board early, and it was in unconventional fashion. Hansel stood over a 50-yard free kick and served it into the box towards the head of Zeke Steuerwald. The ball took a high bounce, over Steuerwald, and eventually found the back of the net. It rolled slowly over the line but the Sabercats had the 1-0 lead and Hansel had his first career goal either way.

But it Hansel's goal was less than emphatic, then Kyle Cummins' goal more than made up for it. Cummins found space 30 yards away from the LCU goal and smacked an unstoppable shot into the top corner. Just like that, it was a 2-0 game.

Early in the second half, the Red Lions got right back into the game. Mason Thompson stole the ball at the top of the Sabercats box and slotted it past Tim Kinzler to make the game interesting in the 48th minute.

The Sabercats responded positively, keeping the pressure on the LCU defense. Hansel's second chance came in the 66th minute, when he bent a free kick from the corner of the penalty area into the far corner to give the Sabercats a needed insurance goal.

From there, it was a matter of closing out the game. Tim Kinzler made some big saves down the stretch and the Sabercats kept the Red Lions at bay for the final 20 minutes to close out their second win of the season.

MBU Starters: 1- Kinzler (C), 2- T. Holloway, 3- K. Elms, 4- Roer (C), 5- J. Elms, 9- Wright, 11- Cummins, 12- Steuerwald (C), 14- MacDonald, 21- Hansel, 22- Hugg

SOUND BITE

"The free kicks are something we've been working on after practice," Hansel said after the game. "Originally I told Kyle [Cummins] I wasn't going to shoot it [on the second goal], so the first thing he said to me after the goal was that he thought I wasn't shooting. I just tried to put it over the wall and high and was just able to get it in."

STATS

• Shot Count: Maranatha 15-8 Lincoln Christian
• Hansel: 5 shots, 3 on goal, 2 goals
• Cummins: 2 shots, 1 goal
• Kinzler: 4 saves in the win
• Last time: Maranatha won 6-1 on Parents' Day in 2019
• Series: MBU now leads the all-time series 23-2-1

OPPONENTS

• Lincoln Christian is dually affiliated, competing in the NAIA and the NCCAA DI
• Lincoln Christian competes in the NAIA as an independent institution

NEXT

The Sabercats play their first home game of the season on Thursday at 3:00 p.m. against Viterbo. Find gameday details at mbusabercats.com/schedule.