WATERTOWN, Wis. -- A first-half blitz of three goals was enough to outweigh a shaky second half today, as the Sabercats repeated their scoreline from last weekend to beat Faith 3-0 to sweep the rivalry for 2024.
Grant Kirchner scored twice and Pedro Ribeiro weaved through the Faith defense to score the third of the day and his fourth of the season, as the Sabercats took the win on a sunny Parents' Day at Maranatha.
OVERVIEW
- Result: Maranatha 3-0 Faith
- Venue: Maranatha Baptist University
- Location: Watertown, Wis.Â
- Attendance: 229
- Record:Â MBU (4-7-3), FBBC (5-9-0)Â
STORY
Kirchner got the Sabercats on the board after a back-and-forth opening exchange. After Mike Davis slotted a through ball into the box, Kirchner fought through a couple of Faith defenders and buried it into the lower corner for the opening goal of the game.
Kirchner wasn't done there, as he found his second goal just 10 minutes later.
Pedro Ribeiro sent a ball into the box that was too much for the Faith defenders to handle, and Kirchner stretched to place it into the right side netting to double the Sabercats lead and give Maranatha the perfect start.
After Kirchner's double, the Sabercats felt the control of the game in both hands, and
Pedro Ribeiro felt magic in both feet, as the freshman weaved his way through the Faith defense to score an eye-catching third - a well-placed shot from the top of the box that left the goalkeeper rooted in place.
Going into the halftime ceremony, the Sabercats had the lead on a picture-perfect day - everything was going according to plan and then some.
The second half halted the momentum in its tracks, however, as the Sabercats just couldn't get any mojo offensively.
Ian Balyo and
Brad Brock combined for a shutout without facing a shot, but the Sabercats failed to threaten the Eagles with any real danger in the second half. The closest moment came in the second half, when
Davin Johnson slammed a volley into the crossbar from
Benjamin Bishop's cross with four minutes left on the clock.
All told, it was a tale of two halves, as the Sabercats took the season sweep over Faith, earning momentum in a crucial closing stretch of games for the 2024 season.
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Maranatha Starters: 00- Balyo, 3- Doese (C), 5- Jones, 8- Davis (C), 9- Ribeiro, 10- Schmidt, 11- Beachell, 12- Greene, 16- Kirchner, 23- Brock, 20- Holloway (C)
STATS
- Shot count: Maranatha 11-0 Faith
- Kirchner: 3 goals this season
- Ribeiro: has now recorded 10 points this season
- Last time: Maranatha won 3-0 in Ankeny last Saturday
- Series: Maranatha leads the all-time series against Faith 14-3-1
OPPONENTS
- Faith competes in the National Christian Collegiate Athletic Association - North Region
- Faith also competes in the Midwest Christian College Conference
- Faith finished the 2023Â season with a record of 12-4-2
NEXT
The Sabercats host Great Lakes Christian College on Tuesday in a crucial NCCAA Midwest Region regular season game. Follow along at mbusabercats.com/schedule.
