The Kuyper College Men's Soccer program got a huge win on Saturday afternoon. Not only was it the first win of the season for the Cougars, but it was also their first win since the program has returned. Kuyper's Athletics program was discontinued from 2015-2022. Men's Soccer returned this fall, and they got their first win today over Maranatha Baptist University. The Cougars played an emotional rivalry match up on Friday, where they tied Grace Christian University 1-1. In a quick turnaround, the Cougars were able to secure a 1-0 victory over the Sabercats. Maranatha Baptist is a part of the NCCAA Midwest Region, as is Kuyper. 

The match was tied 0-0 for much of the first half, but Blessing Tarpeh was able to break the tie when he scored in the 43rd minute of the match. He conveted off of off of a blocked save by the Sabercats. Kuyper had many quality opportunities to extend the lead, as they finished with 15 shots on goal to Maranatha's 6 shots on goal, but high-level goalkeeping from Maranatha Baptist kept the lead at just one goal for Kuyper. 

Kuyper got terrific defensive play from their defenders and goalkeeper. Ian Ramirez finished the afternoon with 6 saves in his first career shut-out. Alex Owens, Malenga Musa, Johnson Bondo, and Emmanuel Becerra-Quintana were great in their defensive roles as well. 

Kuyper moves to 1-4-1 on the year. The Cougars will travel to Dubuque, IA on Saturday, September 28th, to take on the #9 ranked Emmaus Bible College in another NCCAA showdown.