Box Score
September 25, 2021 | by Taylor Pill
LEAD
ANKENY, Iowa -- Thanks to 2 goals from
Joshua Wright, the Sabercats secured a thrilling 2-1 win over Faith to go two-for-two on a North Region weekend.
This was the first of 2 matchups against Faith, as the Sabercats will host the Eagles on Thursday to continue a six-game stretch of NCCAA North Region opponents.
OVERVIEW
- Result: Maranatha 2-1 Faith
- Venue: Pyche Field, Faith Baptist Bible College
- Location: Ankeny, Iowa
- Attendance: 132
- Record: MBU (2-4-0), FBBC (4-2-0)
STORY
The first half was a stalemate, as both teams traded chances. Strong defensive play from Kendall Elms and Ethan Cooper kept the Eagles scoreless, and the Sabercats just couldn't find a way through at the other end. It was a high-energy first half but neither team looked threatening.
Whatever the half-time team talks were, both teams seemed to apply the lessons. Just 3 minutes into the second half, Braeden Hansel sent in a long free kick into the Faith penalty area, and Joshua Wright lept up to head the ball into the bottom corner. Advantage: Maranatha.
As if it was a knee-jerk reaction, Faith responded within a minute. Carson Odle finished a pass from Joshua Forgie to equalize, and in that 30-second blitz, the game went from scoreless to 1-1.
But it didn't take long for the Sabercats to regroup and for Wright to find the back of the net again. After Matthew Harris' hard defending forced a giveaway in midfield, Wright smacked a shot from 25 yards that deflected up and over the Faith goalkeeper for the 2-1 lead.
Aaron Jones almost iced the cake when he broke behind the back line 20 minutes later, but after his shot crashed off the underside of the crossbar, Thomas Holloway's follow-up effort was cleared off the line by a Faith defender.
That close.
As the game wore on, it was clear that Faith would make it a barn-burner. The Eagles peppered the Sabercats but couldn't find a way past Elms and goalkeeper Ian Balyo. The freshman shot-stopper made key plays down the stretch to deny Faith, and a back line of Johnathan Perkins, Michael Cripps, and Philip Holloway kept the Eagles off the scoresheet when it mattered most.
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Maranatha Starters: 00- Balyo, 2- T. Holloway, 3- Elms (C), 5- Jones, 9- Wright (C), 11- Cummins, 16- Kirchner, 18- P. Holloway, 20- Cooper (C), 21- Hansel (C), 23- Perkins
STATS
- Shot count: Maranatha 13-4 Faith
- Wright: First collegiate brace
- Hansel: 1 assist
- Ian Balyo: 2 saves
- Last time: Faith defeated Maranatha 1-0 in their Regional matchup on November 5, 2020
- Series: Maranatha leads the all-time series against Faith 10-2-1
OPPONENTS
- Faith competes in the Midwest Christian College Conference
- Faith competes with Maranatha in the NCCAA DII North Region
- Faith is off to their best start to a season since 2018, when they went 6-2 in September
NEXT
The Sabercats head home to host Faith on Thursday at 4:00 p.m. Catch all the action at mbusabercats.com/schedule.
