WATERTOWN, Wis. -- The Sabercats wasted no time in scoring goals today, and after a hat-trick from Aaron Jones and a long scoresheet, the Sabercats handed Trinity Bible College an 8-0 defeat in NCCAA North Region play.

The Sabercats scored just 10 seconds into the game and are now 2-0 in the North Region, adding an 8-0 win to their 3-0 defeat of Moody Bible a couple of weeks ago.

OVERVIEW

• Result: Maranatha 8-0 Trinity Bible
• Venue: Maranatha Baptist University
• Location: Watertown, Wis. 
• Event: NCCAA North Region
• Attendance: 57
• Record: MBU (2-4-0), TBC (0-5-0) 

STORY

Maranatha wasted no time getting on the board, as Braeden Hansel received a pass from the kickoff and sent a long ball to Jones, who deftly lobbed it over the oncoming goalkeeper and into the back of the net. The Sabercats had touched the ball exactly five times and had exactly one goal - it was the fastest goal in modern Maranatha Men's Soccer history.

Jones turned from scorer to provider 20 minutes later when he slipped a pass behind the Lions' defense into Grant Kirchner's path. Kirchner touched the ball around the keeper and slotted it into the gaping net for the 2-0 lead and his fourth goal of the season.

Less than a minute later, Jones set up Isaac Schmidt with a pass inside the penalty area. Schmidt punched his shot in off the post for a precise third goal of the game and his first of the season. Just four minutes after Schmidt's goal, Jones put up his second goal of the game when he stole the ball on top of the penalty area and chipped it over the goalkeeper. 

The Sabercats had four, and Jones had put his mark on every one of them.

It was Schmidt's turn to bag a brace just before halftime. Schmidt collected an errant goal kick and clipped a 30-yard shot just inside the post for an eye-catching fifth goal, sending the Sabercats into halftime with an uptick.

It took the Sabercats halfway through the second half to get back on the board, but they did it in style. Hansel notched his second assist of the afternoon with an out-swinging free kick service, and Ben Price knocked it into the far corner for his first career goal.

Hansel kept dishing out assists, getting his third of the afternoon just eight minutes later. Hansel sprung Jones with a deep pass into the Trinity end, and Jones reacted quicker than anyone. Jones touched it around the goalkeeper and passed it into the empty net for the seventh of the day.

The eighth and final strike came just six minutes from the end of the game, when Drew Smith snuck a pass up the middle to a hard-charging Robbie Lemon. Lemon copied Jones' move from the previous goal by beating the goalkeeper and placed the finishing touches on a celebratory North Region afternoon on the MBU campus.

For the program, it was the largest margin of victory in a game since 2016.

HIGHLIGHTS

Fastest goal in modern Maranatha Men's Soccer history ⏰ ⏰

0:10 — too fast even for the scoreboard graphic ��

⚽️ ⚽️ ⚽️ Aaron
⚽️ ⚽️ Isaac
⚽️ Ben
⚽️ Robbie

Relive yesterday �� pic.twitter.com/8Vz6tIgl1V

— Maranatha Athletics (@MBUSabercats) September 24, 2022

--

Maranatha Starters: 00- Balyo, 2- T. Holloway (C), 5- Jones, 8- Davis, 9- Wright (C), 10- Schmidt, 11- Beachell, 16- Kirchner, 18- P. Holloway, 20- P. Holloway, 21- Hansel (C)

STATS

• Shot count: Maranatha 22-4 Trinity Bible
• Jones: 3 goals, 2 assists
• Schmidt: 2 goals
• Hansel: 3 assists
• Price, Lemon: First career goals
• Smith: first career assist
• Last time: This is Maranatha's first meeting with Trinity Bible
• Series: Maranatha now leads the series 1-0-0

OPPONENTS

• Trinity Bible competes in the National Christian College Athletic Association 
• This is Trinity Bible's first season as a program

NEXT

The Sabercats stay in Watertown and take on Emmaus Bible College next Thursday at 4:00 p.m. Follow along at mbusabercats.com/schedule.