LANSING, Mich. -- One goal for Grace and the width of the post was all it took to put an end to the Sabercats' season, as Maranatha fell 1-0 this afternoon to Grace Christian in the NCCAA Midwest Region Championship.

The Sabercats wrap up the season with a record of 8-6-3, the first winning record for the program since 2014. The Tigers win their seventh straight NCCAA regional title and the ticket to Nationals that comes with it.

OVERVIEW

• Result: #2 Maranatha 0-1 #1 Grace Christian
• Venue: Henderson Field, Great Lakes Christian College
• Location: Lansing, Mich.
• Attendance: 120
• Record: MBU (8-6-3), GCU (10-6-3)

STORY

Benjamin Bishop almost scored the opening goal thirty seconds into the game, looping a shot that flew just over the crossbar. Grace Christian answered with constant pressure at the other end, but the closest anyone came was at the 30-minute mark, when Joseph Greene drilled a shot off the post from the top of the box.

The width of the post kept things scoreless going into halftime, as the Sabercats were pushing for the go-ahead goal.

Just after halftime, Grace found what they were looking for, scoring the only goal of the game off a cross into the Sabercats' box. 

The closest the Sabercats came was inside of the final 10 minutes when Robert Lemon challenged for a ball with the Grace goalkeeper. The ball broke free and Lemon scored, but the goal was disallowed and a foul was called.

The final push for a goal came up just short, as the Sabercats saw their season end with the sound of the final whistle.
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 Maranatha Starters: 1- Shank, 5- Jones (C), 6- Johnson, 7- Lemon, 8- M. Ribeiro, 10- P. Ribeiro, 11- Ca. Beachell (C), 12- Greene (C), 14- Cl. Beachell, 17- Bishop, 23- Brock

STATS

• Official Stats: TBA
• Last time: The teams forced a 2-2 draw a week ago
• Series: The Sabercats lead in the all-time series 18-13-1

OPPONENTS

• Grace competes with Maranatha in the Midwest Region (NCCAA DII)
• Grace has now won the regional title seven straight years
• Grace finished the 2024 season with a record of 11-8-3

NEXT
A full recap of the season will be forthcoming at mbusabercats.com.