DUBUQUE, Iowa -- Two late Sabercat goals snatched a 3-3 tie away from Emmaus Bible College this afternoon, as the Sabercats and the Eagles fought to the finish of a classic North Region rivalry.

Emmaus registered just six shots in the contest but scored on three of them. Joshua Wright, Aaron Jones, and Braeden Hansel put chances away for Maranatha in the end-to-end clash.

OVERVIEW

• Result: Maranatha 3-3 Emmaus
• Venue: Emmaus Bible College
• Location: Dubuque, Iowa 
• Event: NCCAA North Region regular season
• Attendance: 91
• Record: MBU (3-5-1), EBC (3-4-2) 

STORY

Maranatha wasted no time in scoring, as Joshua Wright found space at the top of the box and smacked a deflected shot that found its way into the back of the net for an early go-ahead goal.

In the following minutes, the Sabercats kept the pressure firmly on the Eagles, as Aaron Jones and Braeden Hansel both hit the crossbar with well-struck shots, but the Sabercats couldn't extend their lead in the first half.

Emmaus found a couple of ways to score against the run of play, as Uredi Mulinga and Joe Rauch whipped the home fans into a frenzy with two goals in the span of just 28 seconds. Both goals capitalized on a couple of Sabercat mistakes, and in less than a minute, the game was turned on its head.

Going into halftime, Emmaus had an unlikely lead and what felt like all the momentum.

Things went from bad to worse for the Sabercats just six minutes into the second half, as Mulinga sprung behind the Sabercats' back line to score a neat outside-foot finish into the upper corner. The Sabercats had just under 40 minutes left and they had a mountain to climb.

Jones and Hansel provided an overdue breakthrough in the 72nd minute, as Hansel played a smart pass on a free kick into the path of a hard-charging Jones, who smashed a shot from inside the box into the near upper corner. The Sabercats had a lifeline.

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— Maranatha Athletics (@MBUSabercats) October 7, 2022

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Jones' goal triggered a frantic finale, as the Sabercats had control of the chances and possession. The equalizer came in the 86th minute, when Isaac Schmidt crossed it into Hansel, wh o followed up a rebound from his headed attempt and touched it into the back of the net. 

Both teams had chances inside the final five minutes, but it would end 3-3 in a classic North Region clash.

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Maranatha Starters: 00- Balyo, 2- T. Holloway (C), 5- Jones, 8- Davis, 9- Wright (C), 10- Schmidt, 11- Beachell, 13- Donovan, 16- Kirchner, 20- P. Holloway, 21- Hansel (C)

STATS

• Shot count: Maranatha 27-6 Emmaus
• Jones: 8th goal of the season
• Last time: Maranatha beat Emmaus 7-1 in Watertown on September 29, 2022
• Series: Maranatha now leads the all-time series against Emmaus 9-0-1

OPPONENTS

• Emmaus competes with Maranatha in the National Christian College Athletic Association (NCAA-Dlll)
• Emmaus also competes in the Midwest Christian College Conference
• Emmaus finished the 2021 season with a record of 2-12-0

NEXT

The Sabercats travel to Ankeny, Iowa to take on Faith Baptist Bible College tomorrow at 3:00 p.m. for an NCCAA North Region match-up. Follow along at mbusabercats.com/schedule.