LINCOLN, Ill. -- An Alexis Sponable hat-trick highlighted a big afternoon for MBU, as the Sabercats cruised past Lincoln Christian University for their second win of the season.

Amy Montgomery, Hannah Evans, and Taylor Moses chipped in goals as well as the Sabercats picked up a big win.

OVERVIEW

• Result: Maranatha 6-1 Lincoln Christian
• Venue: Lincoln Christian University
• Location: Lincoln, Ill.
• Attendance: 50
• Record: MBU (2-1-0), LCU (0-1-0)

STORY

The Sabercats wasted no time getting on the score sheet. Montgomery sent a perfectly-weight through ball for Moses, who made no mistake on the breakaway to put the Sabercats ahead 1-0.

Just a few minutes later, Evans marked her return to play with a blast from long range. Evans' 25-yard shot found the top right corner and the Sabercats had doubled the lead early. Just a minute after Evans' effort, Sponable had her first of the game with a close-range shot from the right side of the box. Once again, it was Montgomery with the assist, and the Sponable-Montgomery duo would combine again just three minutes later when Montgomery slammed in a 12-yard shot into the right corner.

In a span of eight minutes, the Sabercats had scored four. Everything was going in.

In the 32nd minute, Sponable hit career goal number 50 with a well-placed shot to the bottom left corner, and the Sabercats had a 5-0 lead entering halftime.

It took just four minutes for Sponable to complete the hat-trick in the second half. After Montgomery sent in a through ball that was misplayed by an LCU defender, Sponable capitalized on the mistake and finished off the close-range shot to cap the scoring for MBU. Lincoln Christian answered in the 75th minute, but it was nothing more than a consolation for the disheveled hosts.

MBU Starters: 1- Willette, 6- Montgomery, 7- Evans (C), 11- Torres, 13- Bagin (C), 14- Sponable (C), 15- Massey, 16-Vander Pluym, 17- Moses (C), 19- Steuerwald, 20- Hassenplug

SOUND BITE

"I think we played really well together," Sponable said after the game. "After a long bus ride our warmup was slow, so to come out and score goals early on was really good for our confidence."

Sponable, Montgomery, and Moses have been involved in the bulk of the scoring this season, frequently combining to put the Sabercats on the scoresheet. Sponable had this to say about the combinations in the middle. 

"This is our third year playing together," Sponable said. "So that's really helped because we know how to read each other. We all like making forward runs and we know one of us is going to be able to be on the end of the ball."

STATS

• Box score: TBA
• Sponable: 3 goals, 1 assist
• Montgomery: 1 goal, 2 assists
• Moses: 1 goal
• Evans: 1 goal
• Debut: Esperanza Alvarez made her collegiate debut for Maranatha
• Last time: Maranatha won 5-0 at home on Parents' Day in 2019
• Series: Maranatha now leads the all-time series 13-0-1

OPPONENTS

• Lincoln Christian is affiliated with the NAIA and the NCCAA DI
• Lincoln Christian competes in the NAIA as an independent institution

NEXT

The Sabercats will return to their home field next Saturday for a 3:30 p.m. kickoff vs Trine. Find gameday details at mbusabercats.com/schedule.