WATERTOWN, Wis. -- Elmhurst University scored early and often today, taking home a 6-1 win over the Sabercats on a crisp fall day at Maranatha.

Mallory Willette had the only goal of the afternoon for Maranatha with a penalty kick in the first half. The Sabercats will look to regroup for a winnable game on Thursday against Andrews University at home.

OVERVIEW

• Result: Maranatha 1-6 Elmhurst
• Venue: Maranatha Baptist University
• Location: Watertown, Wis.
• Attendance: 49
• Record: MBU (3-8-0), EU (5-7-3) 

STORY

Samantha Shafiabady scored in the very first minute for Elmhurst, and it was the first of a hat-trick for the Bluejay forward. Shafiabady opened the scoring with the first two goals of the game and would add the final goal of the afternoon in the 63rd minute.

Elmhurst made it a 3-0 game in the 26th minute, but Willette provided an answer. After a foul in the Bluejay penalty area, Willette stepped up to slam the penalty kick into the corner, marking her second penalty kick of the season. Going into halftime, the Bluejays had dominated possession and the shot chart, as the visitors had out-shot the Sabercats 12-3.

With the wind at their backs, the Bluejays were in full flight in the second half, out-shooting Maranatha 20-0 while adding three more goals before the end of the game. Before Shafiabady completed her hat-trick, Camila Rubio and Kelli Coughlin both cashed in goals for the visitors, who took the polished 6-1 win in a non-conference match. 

Chloe Dodd (8) and Megan MacDonald (2) combined for 10 saves in the Maranatha net.

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Maranatha Starters: 0- Dodd, 3- Willette, 5- Graham, 7- Garren, 8- Bishop (C), 9- Prigge (C), 11- Schroeder, 12- Clark, 13- Schmidt, 15- Metcalf, 21- Secor

STATS

• Shot Count: Maranatha 3-32 Elmhurst
• Shots on Goal: Maranatha 0-0 Elmhurst
• Last time: This is the first meeting between the two teams.
• Series: Elmhurst now leads the series 1-0-0

OPPONENTS

• Elmhurst competes in the College Conference of Illinois & Wisconsin (NCAA Dlll)
• Elmhurst finished the 2022 season with a 0-16 record. 

NEXT

The Sabercats stay in Watertown to face Andrews University on Thursday at 3:00 p.m. Follow along at mbusabercats.com/schedule.