WATERTOWN, Wis. -- Thanks to a thrilling goal from Danelle Habegger in the dying minutes this afternoon, the Sabercats have a 1-0 win over Grace Christian, NCCAA Midwest Region win to remember, and their fourth win in a row.

Habegger's goal came in the 88th minute off an assist from Faith Dargy. Chloe Dodd made eight saves in the shutout win, and Grace Christian's Amiah Lake had 11 saves on the game to keep the Sabercats frustrated until they had they had the last laugh.
 

• Result: (RV) Maranatha 1-0 Grace Christian
• Venue: Maranatha Baptist University
• Location: Watertown, Wis.
• Attendance: 109
• Record: MBU (4-2-0), GCU (3-6-0) 

STORY
The first half was all about the Sabercats, who out-shot Grace 10-3 to stay on the front foot. Inviting crosses from Alayna Smith and a couple of dangerous shots from Faith Dargy kept Amiah Lake and the Tigers' defense busy. But after 45 minutes of play, the teams were scoreless entering halftime.

The second half was a thriller. The Tigers, with the wind at their backs, were creating the more dangerous chances, hitting the post off a corner kick play around the 65-minute mark. Isabella Byers crashed a shot off the crossbar at the other end, and going into the final 10 muntes, the game was on a knife edge.

Lake was ubiquitous inside the Tigers' penalty area, and the goalkeeper's efforts made the Sabercats doubt their chances. But just when the game was on the line with two minutes left, Habegger stepped up to provide the moment everyone wanted. Habegger found open space at the top of the Tigers' box, hitting a one-time shot from a Faith Dargy pass, looping the shot just under the crossbar in the top-left corner, just beyond Lake's reach.

Habegger's big goal all but sealed the win, as the Sabercats held on to deny the Tigers an equalizer in the final two minutes of a thrilling NCCAA Midwest Region contest on the Maranatha campus.

Maranatha Starters: 0- Dodd, 4- Wilson, 5- Graham (C), 7- Smith, 8- Bishop, 9- Prigge (C), 10- Byers, 11- Schroeder, 13- Schmidt, 14- Dargy, 20- Herrera

STATS

• Shot Count: Maranatha 17-11 Grace Christian
• Habegger: second career goal
• Dodd: eight saves in the shutout win - the most of her career while keeping a clean sheet.
• Last time: Grace Christian won 3-0 in Watertown in September of 2022
• Series: Maranatha leads the all-time series against Grace Christian 11-5-2

OPPONENTS

• Grace Christian competes with the Sabercats for the NCCAA Midwest Region

NEXT

The Sabercats host Andrews University on Tuesday at 2:00 p.m. Follow along at mbusabercats.com/schedule.