LANSING, Mich -- In a scoring-spree thriller, the Sabercats and the Great Lakes Crusaders battled to a 2-2 tie on Henderson Field in NCCAA Midwest Region play this afternoon.

Aaron Jones and Cameron Beachell scored three minutes apart in the second half, matching a first-half blitz from the Crusaders to tie the game late for Maranatha.

OVERVIEW

• Result: Maranatha 2-2 Great Lakes
• Venue: Henderson Field, Great Lakes Christian College
• Location: Lansing, Mich.
• Event: NCCAA Midwest Region
• Attendance: 109
• Record: MBU (2-4-3), GLCC (2-6-2) 

STORY.

The Crusaders were the better team in the opening minutes, scoring from a long throw-in by Kenan Kennedy in the 10th minute before quickly adding a second just two minutes later.

Then in the 30th minute, it looked to be the Crusaders' day, as a penalty kick was called for the hosts. The shot flew towards the bottom-left corner but Ian Balyo made a full-stretch diving save to keep the Sabercats competitive in spectacular fashion.

Once the Sabercats sorted themselves out in the halftime break, they came out with a point to prove in the second half. Pedro Ribeiro placed a fancy backheel right in the path of Jones, who burst behind the Great Lakes back line before burying his finish into the bottom corner. Just like that, the Sabercats were in the game.

The Sabercats poured the pressure on from there, and right after a dangerous chance in the box was deflected out for a corner, Michael Doese swung in the cross and Cameron Beachell muscled the header into the back of the net for an inevitable equalizer. Just like that, the Sabercats had answered the Crusaders' first-half blitz and the game was all square.

From there, it looked to be anyone's game. A crazy goal-line scramble by the Sabercats kept the Crusaders at just two goals, and a couple of late opportunies at the other end of the field gave the hosts a run for their money. When the final whistle blew, the 2-2 tie adequately summarized the sunny afternoon in Lansing
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Maranatha Starters: 00- I. Balyo, 3- Doese (C), 4- Sturm, 5- Jones, 8- Davis (C), 9- Ribeiro, 11- Beachell, 16- Kirchner, 17- Bishop, 20- Holloway (C), 23- Brock

STATS

• Jones: second goal this season
• Beachell: first goal this season
• Doese: now co-leads the team with 3 assists
• Last time: The Sabercats fell 2-3 at Great Lakes last season
• Series: Maranatha leads the all-time series 17-2-2

OPPONENTS

• Great Lakes Christian competes with the Sabercats in the NCCAA Midwest Region

NEXT

The Sabercats stay in Michigan for an 11:00 a.m. EDT matchup with Grace Christian tomorrow. Follow along at mbusabercats.com/schedule.