WATERTOWN, Wis. -- Down four goals with 30 minutes left, the Sabercats almost pulled off something spectacular on the MBU campus.

Three goals in six minutes - two from Taylor Moses and one from Sarah Bagin - almost realized a sensational comeback, but the Sabercats would have to be satisfied with "what might have been" after they fought to the finish but lost 3-4 to Northwestern. 

OVERVIEW

• Result: Maranatha 3-4 Northwestern
• Venue: Maranatha Baptist University
• Location: Watertown, Wis.
• Attendance: 119
• Record: MBU (2-3-0), UNW (2-2-0)

STORY

The defending Upper Midwest Athletic Conference runner-ups looked strong in the first half, making their two goals a matter of routine to take the 2-0 lead into halftime. The Sabercats created good chances at the other end of the field, but the closest they came was a shot from Moses that ricocheted off the crossbar.

Northwestern added two more goals early in the second half, and at 4-0, the game looked to be out of reach. After all, a four-goal comeback in just 30 minutes is all but insurmountable.

But the Sabercats didn't care.

Just over four minutes after Northwestern's last goal, the rally started with Moses finally getting the Sabercats on the board in the 63rd minute. Amy Montgomery continued her assisting contributions when she juked a defender at the corner of the box before playing an inviting pass towards Moses inside the box. Moses made no mistake, slotting her finish into the lower left-hand corner.

Just three minutes later, Moses made the game interesting again. After a well-worked passing combination set up a hard cross from Angel Steuerwald, Moses fought off a Northwestern defender right in front of the goal to tap in her second and the Sabercats' second goal of the day.

Not even three minutes after that, Bagin put herself on a highlight reel, launching a 28-yard shot that flew over everyone and into the right corner of the Northwestern goal. Game on.

But as the clock wound down, the suddenly created momentum began to fade gradually. The Sabercats had three chances in the final 20 minutes, but the efforts were off the mark.

After a thrilling 90 minutes on the MBU campus, the Eagles had secured a hard-earned second win of the season.

MBU Starters: 0- Wright, 6- Montgomery, 7- Evans (C), 11- Torres, 13- Bagin (C), 14- Sponable (C), 15- Massey, 16-Vander Pluym, 17- Moses, 19- Steuerwald, 20- Hassenplug

SOUND BITE

"What made the comeback possible was our determination to not quit," Moses said after the game. "Instead of [just] seeing what we wanted to do we finally were able to execute it in the second half with intensity. . . I think that's all you can really ask for."

STATS

• Shot count: Maranatha 13-22 Northwestern
• Moses: Now co-leads the team with Alexis Sponable with five goals
• Montgomery: Now co-leads the team with Sponable with three assists
• Steuerwald: First assist of the season 
• Bagin: Third career goal
• Series: Northwestern leads the all-time series 2-0

OPPONENTS

• Northwestern is affiliated with the NCAA DIII and the NCCAA
• Northwestern competes in the Upper Midwest Athletic Conference
• Northwestern finished last year with an 11-11 record and a loss in the UMAC Championship

NEXT

The Sabercats will travel to Michigan on Friday to take on Great Lakes (Friday) and Grace Christian (Saturday). Find gameday details at mbusabercats.com/schedule.