DES MOINES, Iowa -- The Sabercats' bid for a regional title fell short just as it was getting good, as Crown College scored in overtime to instantly end the game, hold off a dramatic comeback, and deny the Sabercats' ticket to the Regional Semifinal.

Aaron Jones scored twice and Ethan Cooper scored once, as the Sabercats came back from 3-1 down to tie it in regulation, only to have their season ended abruptly after 107 minutes of thrilling North Region play.

OVERVIEW

• Result: Maranatha 3-4 Crown (2OT)
• Venue: MidAmerican Energy Company RecPlex
• Event: NCCAA DII North Region Quarterfinal
• Location: Des Moines, Iowa
• Attendance: 35
• Record: MBU (5-10-0), Crown (2-17-0)

STORY

Crown scored first, as Yanik Wehrli broke behind the Sabercats' back line and slotted the opener in the left side of the goal. The Sabercats almost answered twice, as Joshua Wright and Grant Kirchner both hit the woodwork in the first half, Aaron Jones scored what is becoming a trademark goal for the freshman, as he weaved his way through the Crown defense before poking a finish into the side netting.

Going into halftime, it was tied. And it definitely felt like it was anyone's game.

Twenty minutes into the second half, Crown scored twice in a span of seven minutes - one from open play and one from the penalty spot - and it looked like they were firmly in control of the game.

Back came Maranatha.

Jones scored his second of the game with just 15 minutes left, shooting from a Kyle Cummins pass into the near corner from the top of the box to rekindle the Sabercats belief.

Fueled by the momentum, the Sabercats equalized just five minutes later. After Joshua Wright served in a corner kick, Cooper muscled in a rebounding ball into the back of the Crown net to complete a spirited comeback and give the Sabercats an added surge of life in the hard-fought battle.

Both teams had chances to put the game away late and into the overtime period. Cummins hit a shot from the top of the box that almost found the side netting, but in the 107th minute, Tim Jaeger finally found his mark after putting seven shots on goal in the game for Crown. Jaeger created space at the top of the box and found the back corner with what was more of a heart-breaker than a net-buster. 

Just like that, the Sabercats saw their season come to a close in a seven-goal thriller.

Seniors Reagan Abbey, Kyle Cummins, and Kendall Elms all played their final game for Maranatha in the loss.

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Maranatha Starters: 00- Balyo, 3- Elms (C), 5- Jones, 7- Cripps, 9- Wright (C), 10- Schmidt, 11- Cummins, 16- Kirchner, 18- P. Holloway, 20- Cooper (C), 21- Hansel (C)

STATS

• Shot count: Maranatha 14-16 Crown
• Shots on goal: Maranatha 7-12 Crown
• Jones: First career brace
• Ian Balyo: Made 8 saves
• Cummins: Finishes the season with 5 goals, 3 assists, and a team-high 13 points
• Last time: The teams hadn't met since 2005 - a game that ended in a 0-0 tie at Maranatha
• Series: Crown leads the all-time series 0-1-1

OPPONENTS

• Crown competes in the Upper Midwest Athletic Conference (NCAA DIII)
• Crown re-joined the NCCAA this year after a five-year hiatus
• Crown used to compete as an NCCAA DI member

OUTLOOK

The Sabercats will not play any consolation games in the North Region Tournament. A full recap of the season will be forthcoming at mbusabercats.com.