DUBUQUE, Iowa -- One moment in the second half was the only thing that separated Maranatha and No. 5 Emmaus today, as the Eagles took a 1-0 win in NCCAA Midwest Region regular-season play.
Maranatha out-shot Emmaus 22-9 on the day, but the Eagles needed one decisive effort to settle the difference With the win, Emmaus climbs to the top of the NCCAA Midwest Region table (below) while Maranatha stays in third.
OVERVIEW
- Result: Maranatha 0-1 No. 5 Emmaus
- Venue: Emmaus Bible College
- Location: Dubuque, Iowa
- Event: NCCAA Midwest Regular Season
- Attendance: 51
- Record: MBU (2-6-3), EBC (8-2-1)
STORY
The Sabercats overwhelmed the Eagles in the first half, controlling possession and winning duels and loose balls in the midfield. Landon Broere and Robbie Lemon combined for the best chance of the half, but Broere's quick shot from the top of the penalty area blitzed over the crossbar. Maranatha more than doubled Emmaus's chances in the opening 45 minutes but had nothing to show for it.
Emmaus's goal came against the run of play, as Jake Matte snapped off a shot from the top of the Sabercats' penalty area that bounced into the bottom-right corner in the 55th minute.
Corner kicks and dangerous crosses were the Sabercats' best moments in the second half, but the chances just would not fall on the Sabercats' end of the field in the Midwest Region matchup. At the end of the 90 minutes, Maranatha had peppered the Emmaus goal but went away from Dubuque empty-handed.
--
Maranatha Starters: 00- I. Balyo, 3- Doese (C), 5- Jones, 8- Davis (C), 9- Ribeiro, 11- Beachell, 13- Donovan, 16- Kirchner, 19- Miller, 23- Brock
STATS
- Last time: the teams tied 2-2 in Watertown in September
- Series: Maranatha leads the all-time series with Emmaus, 10-2-3
STANDINGS
After the new format for the NCCAA Midwest Region was announced in September, the standings for the NCCAA Midwest are as follows (GD - Goal Difference):
| Place |
Team |
W |
L |
T |
PTS |
GD |
| 1 |
No. 5 Emmaus |
2 |
0 |
0 |
6 |
+4 |
| 2 |
Kuyper |
1 |
1 |
1 |
4 |
-2 |
| 3 |
Maranatha |
1 |
2 |
0 |
3 |
-1 |
| 4 |
No. 8 Grace Christian |
0 |
1 |
1 |
1 |
-1 |
| 5 |
Great Lakes Christian |
- |
- |
- |
- |
- |
OPPONENTS
- Emmaus competes with the Sabercats in the NCCAA Midwest Region
- Emmaus's #5 ranking in the NCCAA Top 10 is the highest in program history
NEXT
The Sabercats travel to Ankeny, Iowa on Saturday to take on Faith Baptist at 1:00 p.m. Follow along at mbusabercats.com/schedule.
