LEAD
WATERTOWN, Wis. — When the dust settled in a Midwest Region classic, the Sabercats emerged on top with a 4-3 win over Great Lakes Christian thanks to some special goals and a spirited 90 minutes on the Maranatha campus.
The win was the second over the Crusaders in as many games for the Sabercats, who legitimized their NCCAA Top 10 ranking with a hard-fought win.
OVERVIEW
- Result: No. 10 Maranatha 4-3 (RV) Great Lakes Christian
- Venue: Maranatha Baptist University
- Location: Watertown, Wis.
- Attendance: 121
- Record: MBU (3-2-1), GLCC (2-4-2)
STORY
It was no surprise that Pedro Ribeiro found the scoresheet in the first 10 minutes, as the sophomore found a loose ball in the box and smashed it home after Joseph Greene burst into the box to set it up. Just minutes after Greene's goal, however, Great Lakes tied it up with a header from a corner kick.
The Sabercats found themselves working against the momentum for the next few minutes, but a well-weighted long ball from Clayton Miller set up Robbie Lemon for a breakaway and the momentum shifted again. Lemon sped into the Great Lakes penalty area and chipped it over the oncoming goalkeeper for a high-class finish. Sabercats 2, Crusaders 1.
Another corner kick soon spoiled the Sabercats' celebrations, though. As Great Lakes proved to take advantage of their set plays to level the game again. In the dying minutes of the first half, the visitors locked their momentum in with a penalty kick save, and the frantic game was tied 2-2 going into halftime.
Coming out of the break, the Sabercats looked to be the more dangerous team. The pressure paid off when Aaron Jones slid in a free kick under the wall for a crafty go-ahead goal.
Lemon teased the Crusaders again a few minutes later with a wrapped shot towards the left corner, but his shot slid just wide of the post. The Sabercats' persistence was rewarded even further around the 80th minute, when freshman Will Alsup curled a perfect cross into the back post for the recently re-entered Joseph Greene. Greene rose to the occasion - literally - and headed in a crowd-pleasing insurance goal into the far corner of the net. Just like that, it was 4-2 and the Sabercats were flying.
Great Lakes pulled one goal back with two and a half minutes left, but it wasn't enough. After 7 goals, 8 yellow cards, and a wild Midwest Region clash, the Sabercats completed the regular-season sweep of the Crusaders and had their third win of the season to show for it.
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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), 13- Donovan, 14- Cl. Beachell, 19- Miller
STATS
- Shot count: Maranatha 12-10 Great Lakes
- Greene: has the game-winning goal in both games over Great Lakes this season
- Alsup: first career assist
- Last time: Maranatha won 1-0 last week in Lansing
- Series: Maranatha leads the all-time series 8-4-3
OPPONENTS
- Grace Christian competes with the Sabercats in the NCCAA Midwest Region
- Grace Christian has received votes in the second national ranking of the Top 10 teams this season
NEXT
The Sabercats stay home for a 4:00 p.m. matchup against Andrews University on Tuesday. Follow along at mbusabercats.com/schedule.
