THE LEAD

WYOMING, Mich. -- Grace Christian University beat the Sabercats in shootouts at the 2016 NCCAA National Semifinal, and this afternoon, the #4 Tigers rubbed salt in the wound.

A Tiger goal in each half separated Maranatha and Grace at Velting Field today, as GCU took the first-ever regulation-time win over Maranatha.

THE OVERVIEW

• Result: Maranatha 0-2 #4 Grace Christian
• Venue: Velting Field, Grace Christian University
• Location: Wyoming, Mich.
• Attendance: 72
• Records: MBU (3-5-1), GCU (4-5-1)

THE STORY

The Tigers have been on the rise in recent seasons, and they found the back of the net first when they announced their intentions 20 minutes in with a goal from Alex Tolar-Key. The Sabercats tried to find a way through the Tigers' defense, but through the first 45 minutes, MBU's search for answers was left wanting. At halftime, the scoreboard read GCU 1-0 MBU.

The Tigers doubled their lead early in the second half, as a long ball over the Sabercats' back line proved difficult for the MBU defense to deal with. Maddie Brown got on the end of it and finished hard and low to the far post from just inside the box. 2-0 Grace.

An athletic double save from Hannah Wells limited further damage in the later stages of the second half, but the Sabercats couldn't get anything going at the other end of the field. After 90 minutes, the Tigers had secured their second NCCAA divisional win of the season, and the Sabercats were forced home empty-handed.

THE SOUND BITE

"It doesn't show on the scoreboard but I am really proud of the girls' competitive effort today," said Coach Dave Anderson. "It's been a point of emphasis for us and I think we showed improvement in that area even though it did not result in any goals. Congrats to Grace for putting away their chances."

THE STATS

• Shot count: Maranatha fired 10 shots; Grace had 21
• Brandy Weaver: 6 shots; 4 on goal for GCU
• Wells: made 10 saves 
• Hannah Evans and Sarah Bagin: both had 3 shots, 1 on goal
• Series: Maranatha now leads the series, 10-1-1

THE OPPONENTS

• The Tigers just came off an 8-0 drubbing of Andrews University
• GCU are members of the Mideast Region in the NCCAA DII
• Grace beat Kentucky Christian University (NCCAA Mideast) earlier this season, 4-0

THE OUTLOOK

The Sabercats will look to rebound from today's loss at Rockford University Tuesday at 5:00 PM. Follow live at mbusabercats.com/composite.