ANKENY, Iowa -- The Eagles scored early and often today, and in the latest edition of the Maranatha-Faith rivalry, the hosts came away with their most commanding win ever, winning 5-0 in front of an energetic home crowd.

This concludes the opening weekend for the Sabercats, who had to battle through two games in two days on a warm weekend before turning their attention to next Tuesday's home opener.

OVERVIEW

• Result: Maranatha 0-5 Faith
• Venue: Pyche Field
• Location: Ankeny, Iowa
• Attendance: -
• Record: MBU (0-2-0), FBBC (1-1-0) 

STORY

Eliana Fritz opened the scoring for the Eagles in the eighth minute, launching a shot from almost 30 yards into the top corner, and just like that, the home fans had the momentum they wanted and Faith had a one-goal lead.

Fritz doubled her tally just five minutes later when she snuck in a near-post finish after breaking behind the Sabercats' back line, and just like that, the Eagles looked to be in full control. Emma Boldt then took over the scoring duties for Faith, bagging her own brace with goals at the 30- and 50-minute marks, and at that point, the Eagles had the game pretty much wrapped up. 

Brenna Penrod added the fifth for the hosts with just over 12 minutes left in the game, wrapping up the scoring for the hard-working Eagles and solidifying a key home win to launch the season. 

Megan Prigge, Faith Dargy, and Danelle Habegger all registered shots on goal for the Sabercats, but Maranatha was limited to just five shots on the day.

--

Maranatha Starters: 0- Dodd, 2- Habegger, 3- Willette, 5- Graham, 6- Warner, 8- Bishop (C),  9- Prigge, 11- Schroeder, 12- Clark, 13- Schmidt, 18- Cansler

STATS

• Shot Count: Maranatha 5-19 Faith
• Chloe Dodd: eight saves for Maranatha
• Last time: Maranatha fell to Faith 0-4 in Watertown on October 22, 2022
• Series: Maranatha currently leads the all-time series against Faith 9-7-1

OPPONENTS

• Faith competes in the National Christian Collegiate Athletic Association North Region (Dll)
• Faith finished the 2022 season with a 6-7-0 record. 
• Faith lost to Crown in the NCCAA North Region Tournament

NEXT

The Sabercats return to Watertown, Wisconsin to take on Lakeland University in their home opener on Tuesday at 2:00 p.m. Follow along at mbusabercats.com/schedule.