WATERTOWN, Wis. -- On a warm and windy day in Watertown, the fifth-ranked Grace Christian University Tigers just two goals to take home a 2-0 win over Maranatha.

Those two goals came in a span of two minutes late in the second half, as the Tigers took home the win to sweep the season series.

OVERVIEW

• Result: Maranatha 0-2 No. 5 Grace Christian
• Venue: Maranatha Baptist University
• Location: Watertown, Wis.
• Event: NCCAA Midwest Region regular season 
• Attendance: 45
• Record: MBU (1-13-1), GCU (5-6-4) 

STORY

The first half was a battle, with both teams creating chances and trading possession. The Sabercats defended on the front foot, gaining momentum in the opening 45 minutes but still going goal-less. At the other end of the field, the Tigers looked for a breakthrough but were frustrated by the Sabercats' defense.

The biggest moment in the first half came with an injury to Ian Balyo, the Sabercats' goalkeeper, who would come out for the remainder of the game.

At halftime, Maranatha had some momentum but nothing else to show for it, and the second half would be a tossup.

Both teams created chances again in the second half, but Grace finally broke through after wearing down the Sabercats for the majority of the game. Rukundo Masengesho was the danger man for Grace, scoring both goals with shots from inside the box after a couple of dangerous crosses from the visitors.

When it was all said and done, the Tigers had a tight win, and the Sabercats will look to make the most of a potential third chance at them at NCCAA Regionals in a couple of weeks.

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Maranatha Starters: 0- Balyo, 2- T. Holloway, 3- Doese, 7- Lemon, 8- Davis (C), 9- Wright (C), 11- Beachell, 12- Greene, 18- Mixell, 19- Miller, 20- P. Holloway (C)

STATS

• Shots: Maranatha 5-21 Grace Christian
• Last time: Maranatha fell to Grace Christian earlier this season, 0-4 on October 6, 2023
• Series: Maranatha leads the all-time series against Grace Christian 17-9

OPPONENTS

• Grace Christian competes with Maranatha in the NCCAA Midwest Region
• Grace Christian finished the 2022 season with a record of 16-4-2
• Grace Christian fell 0-1 to Bob Jones in the 2022 NCCAA National Championship

NEXT

The Sabercats stay in Watertown, Wisconsin to take on Oak Hills for the last game of the regular season on Thursday, October 26 at 3:00 p.m. Follow along at mbusabercats.com/schedule.