LEAD

WATERTOWN, Wis. -- It was an NCCAA top-five clash, and the Sabercats shut out the Faith Baptist Bible College Eagles thanks to an early goal from Alexis Sponable.

With the win, the Sabercats pick up their second win of the season and are likely to overtake the Eagles as the fourth-best team in the NCCAA DII.

OVERVIEW

• Result: No. 5 Maranatha 1-0 No. 4 Faith 
• Venue: Maranatha Baptist University
• Location: Watertown, Wis.
• Attendance: 55
• Records: No. 5 MBU (2-2-0), No. 4 FBBC (4-2-0)

STORY

It took the Sabercats just over 20 minutes to find the breakthrough. After an evenly contested opening few minutes, Sponable found space deep in the Eagles' end. After winning a tackle inside the box, Sponable fired her third goal of the season straight into the far corner for the go-ahead goal.

Sponable's chance was the best one of the half, and as it turned out, it was the best one of the game for either team. Trisha Wright was called on to make seven saves, and she made each one a matter of routine to keep the clean sheet.

After 90 minutes of hard-fought NCCAA regional competition, the Sabercats came away with the win, the shutout, and their second clean sheet of the 2019 season.

MBU Starters: 0- Wright, 6- Montgomery (C), 7- Evans, 8-Nelson, 9- Ng, 10- Riley, 13- Bagin, 14- Sponable, 15- Hendrickson, 17- Moses, 19- Steuerwald

STATS

• Shot count: Maranatha 13-15 Faith 
• Sponable: 3 shots, 3 on target, 1 goal
• Wright: 7 saves
• Last year: Maranatha won 4-1 at Faith and 4-0 at home
• Series: Maranatha now leads the series 7-0-0

OPPONENTS

• The Eagles compete with the Sabercats in the NCCAA North Region
• FBBC finished 5-7-0 last year with a 3-0 loss to Providence in the NCCAA regional semifinal
• Faith came into this game with four shutout wins on the season

NEXT

The Sabercats will stay home for a Saturday morning matchup with the Blackburn University Beavers. Watch live at mbusabercats.com/schedule.