LANSING, Mich. — One early goal was all it took today, as the Sabercats had a memorable season cut short with a 1-0 loss at Great Lakes Christian College in the NCCAA Regional Play-In.
The loss ends the Sabercats' season at 5-9-5 while the Crusaders will continue on to Friday and the NCCAA Midwest Region Semifinal.
OVERVIEW
- Result: Maranatha 0-1 Great Lakes
- Venue: Henderson Field, Great Lakes Christian College
- Event: NCCAA Regional Play-In Game
- Location: Lansing, Mich.
- Attendance: 75
- Record: MBU (5-9-5), GLCC (5-8-5)
STORY
The goal came from the Crusaders' only shot of the first half, as Nikolas Cosmet placed a one-time shot perfectly into the top corner off a pass from Daniel Resendiz-Nunez. At the other end of the field, Maranatha created multiple chances through Aaron Jones, who sent in a couple of crosses and created space behind the defense for an attempt from inside the box, but his effort sailed just over.
Throughout, the teams combined for just 14 shots in the game - 8 from the Sabercats and 6 from Great Lakes - but the early goal from Resendiz seemed to count for more and more as the game went on.
The Sabercats controlled the possession and the scoring chances in the second half, but despite their incessant pressure and probing, the Great Lakes defense did their job on the day. No clear-cut chances impacted the storyline of the second half, as the Sabercats had their season end with the final whistle on a windy Tuesday in Michigan.
It was the final game for seven seniors, as Ian Balyo, Brad Brock, Mike Davis, Isaac Schmidt, Joseph Greene, Grant Kirchner, and Philip Holloway all played their final game for Maranatha.
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Maranatha Starters: 00- I. Balyo, 3- Doese (C), 5- Jones, 8- Davis (C), 9- Ribeiro, 10- Schmidt, 11- Beachell, 19- Miller, 20- P. Holloway (C), 23- Brock, 27- C. Balyo
STATS
- Box Score
- The Sabercats finish their season with 42 goals scored and 2.42 goals per game - the best scoring rate since 2016
- Last time: The teams tied 2-2 and 4-4 this season
- Series: Maranatha leads the all-time series with Great Lakes, 17-3-3
OPPONENTS
- Great Lakes competes with the Sabercats in the NCCAA Midwest Region
NEXT
A full recap of the season will be forthcoming at mbusabercats.com.
