ANKENY, Iowa -- Faith kept their foot on the gas and never let up today, handing a 1-0 loss to the Sabercats in their North Region opener.

Mallory Willette made 15 saves in the loss, as the Sabercats were up against the relentless Eagles and their rowdy homecoming fans. 

OVERVIEW

• Result: Maranatha 0-1 No. 4 Faith
• Venue: Pyche Field - Faith Baptist Bible College
• Location: Ankeny, Iowa
• Event: NCCAA North Region Regular Season
• Attendance: 154
• Record: MBU (1-10-0), FBBC (4-6-0) 

STORY

The homecoming energy at Pyche Field was palpable in the opening few minutes, and you could sense right away that Faith was riding the energy. The #4-ranked Eagles put their foot on the gas and never let up, firing off 12 first-half shots and forcing Mallory Willette to make six saves.

Halftime was a breather for the Sabercats, who had been under relentless pressure for 45 minutes straight. 

The breakthrough finally came six minutes into the second half when Kayla Stephens' shot snuck low past Willette. The momentum of the game was firmly in Faith's favor, and now they had a goal to match.

The go-ahead goal gave an edge to the Eagles' attack, as the hosts harnessed the home-fan energy to ride out the win.

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Maranatha Starters: 0- Willette, 2- Habegger, 3- Morrison, 5- Graham, 7- Garren, 8- Bishop (C), 10- Hoffmann, 11- Torres (C), 16- Hassenplug (C), 17- Prigge, 21- Secor

STATS

• Willette: 15 saves
• Gabrielle Donough: 1 shot for MBU
• Last time: Maranatha fell to Faith 0-2 in the NCCAA North Region Championship on November 6, 2021
• Series: Maranatha leads the all-time series against Faith 9-5-1

OPPONENTS

• Faith competes with Maranatha in the NCCAA North Region
• Faith finished the 2021 season with a 4-8-2 record
• Faith finished 3rd in the NCCAA Dll National Tournament

NEXT

The Sabercats return to Watertown where they will take on Grace Christian University on Thursday at 3:00 p.m. Follow along at mbusabercats.com/schedule.