WATERTOWN, Wis. -- An electric home opener had just about everything in it, as Martin Luther College stole a 2-1 win in today's season-opener in front of a capacity crowd at Maranatha.

Joseph Greene slammed home his first career goal on his debut, but the Sabercats' late efforts were thwarted in a wild home opener. 

OVERVIEW

• Result: Maranatha 1-2 Martin Luther
• Venue: Maranatha Baptist University
• Location: Watertown, Wis.
• Attendance: 512
• Record: MBU (0-1-0), MLC (1-0-0) 

STORY

It was a back-and-forth game right from the start, as both teams fought for every inch of possession. Aaron Jones brought the crowd to its feet with some trademark runs behind the Knights' back line in the first half, but Adam Rosenbaum stifled Jones' attempt at heroics with a couple of tidy saves. 

At the other end of the field, the Knights probed for a weakness, and they finally found one in the 33rd minute. Zair Palacios announced his return to his hometown with a close-range finish of a loose ball in the Sabercats' box.

Going into halftime, there was everything to play for.

The Knights looked to be the more dangerous of the two teams in the early stages of the second half. The Sabercats would eventually pile on the pressure but only after Nathan Pausma looped a shot from 35 yards into the back of the net for a spectacular insurance goal. The Sabercats had their backs against the wall and the Knights had a two-goal lead.

The Knights almost tripled the lead with a penalty kick in the 76th minute, but the attempt went wide, breathing new life into the Sabercats.

The newfound momentum culminated in the biggest moment of the game for Maranatha, as Grant Kirchner's cross was deflected on by Robbie Lemon to the waiting feet of Joseph Greene. Greene slammed home his chance with this first touch at the back post over the oncoming Rosenbaum, and the Sabercats had their lifeline with eight minutes to play.

With a minute and a half remaining, Braeden Hansel almost produced a spectacular equalizer with a free kick from a tight angle, but Rosenbaum matched the effort with an equally spectacular save to maintain the lead (below).

*screams* pic.twitter.com/SRqwo5li5D

— Maranatha Athletics (@MBUSabercats) September 3, 2022

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The final whistle hailed an end to a thrilling 90-minute battle, as the Knights put the finishing touches on a dramatic 2-1 win.

Robbie Lemon, Joshua Donovan, Akaki Gweh, Joseph Greene, and Benjamin Bishop all made their college debuts in the home opener.

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Maranatha Starters: 00- Balyo, 2- T. Holloway (C), 5- Jones, 8- Davis, 9- Wright (C), 10- Schmidt, 12- Greene, 16- Kirchner, 18- P. Holloway, 20- P. Holloway, 21- Hansel (C)

STATS

• Shot count: Maranatha 12-20 Martin Luther
• Greene: First career goal in first career game
• Lemon: First career assist in first career game
• Series: Maranatha lead the old all-time series against Nortwestern 25-2-1*, but this was the first Men's Soccer matchup between Maranatha and Martin Luther

*Northwestern College had their campus in Watertown before merging with Dr. Martin Luther College in 1995

OPPONENTS

• Martin Luther competes in the Upper Midwest Athletic Conference (NCAA DIII)
• Martin Luther finished 2021 with a 6-12 and won each of their last four games
• Martin Luther welcomed Tim Grundmeier and Nicolas Schmoller as first-year associate coaches this season

NEXT

The Sabercats travel to Plymouth, Wisconsin to take on Lakeland University on Tuesday at 6:00 p.m. Follow along at mbusabercats.com/schedule.