WATERTOWN, Wis. -- The Sabercats could not hold the high-powered offense of Finlandia on Tuesday, falling 5-2 against the Lions.

Aaron Jones scored his first career goal and Kyle Cummins scored on a penalty kick as the Sabercats outplayed Finlandia in the home loss.

OVERVIEW

• Result: Maranatha 2-5 Finlandia
• Venue: Maranatha Baptist University
• Location: Watertown, Wis.
• Attendance: 119
• Record: MBU (0-3-0), FIN (2-4-0)

STORY

The Sabercats faced a challenge right from the start as Finlandia controlled possession for much of the first ten minutes of play. The Lions used that control to score in the twelfth minute, but would lose control just a few minutes later when Kyle Cummins made a beautiful through pass into the box to a wide-open Aaron Jones, who buried his first career goal in the bottom left corner of the net to tie the game.

Finlandia regained their edge and took the lead back in the twenty-third minute, but the Sabercats continued to battle in a physical match to hold the Lions at a one-goal lead until halftime. From there, the Lions pressured the Maranatha defense, scoring twice before the 70th minute. They scored again on a breakaway in the 87th minute, giving them a 5-1 lead. Instead of giving up, Cummins and Grant Kirchner kept the offense alive as Kirchner drew a foul in the Lions' box to gain a penalty kick in the final minute. Cummins stepped up to the line to take the shot and promptly deposited it into the back of the net. Despite losing 5-2, the Sabercats did not give up and continued to fight in a physically demanding match.

-- 

MBU Starters: 00- Balyo, 2- T. Holloway, 3- Elms (C), 5- Jones, 7- Cripps, 9- Wright (C), 11- Cummins, 16- Kirchner, 18- P. Holloway, 21- Hansel (C), 23- Perkins

STATS

• Shot count: Maranatha 11-18 Finlandia
• Jones: First career goal
• Cummins: 1 goal, 1 assist
• Ian Balyo: 5 saves
• Series: Maranatha leads the all-time series against Finlandia 2-1

OPPONENTS

• Finlandia competes in the Coast-to-Coast Conference (NCAA DIII)
• Finlandia last played Maranatha in 2018

NEXT

The Sabercats stay at home to take on Ripon College on Saturday at 1:00 p.m. Follow along at mbusabercats.com/schedule.