LEAD

HANCOCK, Mich. -- The day after a 3-0 win, the Sabercats were handed a 0-6 loss this afternoon by the Lions of Finlandia University.

Finlandia was the most-improved team in the NCAA DIII last year, and their newfound momentum proved to be too much for the Sabercats to handle.

OVERVIEW

• Result: Maranatha 0-6 Finlandia
• Venue: McAfee Field, Finlandia University
• Location: Hancock, Mich.
• Attendance: 56
• Records: MBU (1-1-0), FINNU (3-1-0)

STORY

Kirsten L'Esperance opened the scoring for Finlandia in the second minute, proving once again to be the primary protagonist for the Lions like she was last year. L'Esperance had two goals and an assist to fuel a four-goal offensive display in the first half for the hosts, who were in total control of the game heading into the halftime break.

The Sabercats shored up some of the damage in the second half, allowing just one goal through the opening 40 minutes of the period. Finlandia put the finishing touches on the 6-0 win with just over a minute left in the game, and when the final whistle sounded, it was clear that the Finlandia Lions were a completely different team from two seasons ago.

MBU Starters: 0- Wright, 6- Montgomery (C), 7- Evans, 8- Nelson, 9- Ng, 10- Riley, 12- Moore, 13- Bagin, 14- Sponable, 15- Hendrickson, 19- Steuerwald

STATS

• Shot count: Maranatha 3-34 Finlandia
• L'Esperance: 2 goals and 1 assist
• Last year: Maranatha tied Finlandia 2-2 at home
• Series: Maranatha now leads the series, 6-1-1

OPPONENTS

• Finlandia went from 1-11-1 in 2017 to 11-4-1 in 2018, making them the most-improved team in the NCAA DIII
• The Lions are members of the American Collegiate Athletic Association
• Finlandia came into this game with consecutive shutout wins against Northland (1-0) and Crown (6-0)

NEXT

The Sabercats will return home for a Tuesday matchup with Marian University at 4:00 p.m. Watch live at mbusabercats.com/schedule.