THE LEAD

MOUNT VERNON, Iowa -- The Cornell College Rams were too much for MBU today, taking home a 5-0 win over the Sabercats in the 2018 season opener.

This was the third game of the season for Cornell. This was the first time that Maranatha and Cornell have squared off.

THE OVERVIEW

• Result: Maranatha 0-5 Cornell
• Venue: Cornell College
• Location: Mount Vernon, Iowa
• Records: MBU (0-1-0), CC (1-0-0)

THE STORY

It started well for the hosts, and they never looked back. Georgia James provided the opening goal in the seventh minute, and Clara Garcia added the second goal 10 minutes later.

The lead would hold until the halftime whistle. Maranatha's only chance in the first half came from Bethany Chesky, who fired to the right of Nell Rosenthal's post.

The hosts maintained their eagerness in the second half and produced a goal early on. Renee Wuest got in on the action and scored the hosts' third of the game. The score froze at 3-0 until the 72nd minute, when Cornell added a fourth, then scored their fifth and final goal just 5 minutes later.

THE SOUND BITE

"Thankful for a great opponent for our first match," said Coach Dave Anderson after the game. "Cornell challenged us physically today. It was a warm welcome to the many first-year players on our squad. The mistakes we made today were 'rookie mistakes', but that means they are fixable. We created a few good chances and we were dangerous on multiple occasions. So there are positives to take away from this game."

THE STATS

• Cornell had the upper hand in shots, 25-5.
• Alexis Sponable had two shots for MBU.
• Jaclyn Dahl fired a shot on goal in her collegiate debut.
• Debuts: the following players made their collegiate debut for the Sabercats: Dahl, Hannah Evans, Amy Montgomery, and Angel Steuerwald.
• Rookie Regulars: Dahl, Evans, and Steuerwald were in the starting lineup. Montgomery played 67 minutes.

THE OUTLOOK

The Sabercats will travel to Lakeland University next Tuesday at 7 p.m. This game was originally scheduled for Watertown but was moved due to unplayable field conditions. Find details of the game at mbusabercats.com/composite.