BEAVER FALLS, Pa. – The Geneva College men's soccer team opened Presidents' Athletic Conference (PAC) play on Saturday afternoon against Bethany, and a late penalty kick goal by the Bison left Geneva on the short end of a 1-0 decision.  Bethany improved to 4-6-2, 1-0 in the PAC, while Geneva fell to 3-5-1, 0-1 in the PAC.

Neither team could get much going in the first half.  Both teams finished with three shots, but the game remained scoreless at halftime, 0-0.

Bethany broke through in the 77^th minute when Geneva was whistled for a penalty in the box, and Bethany's Jay O'Donnell took advantage by scoring what ended up being the game-winner.  Geneva pressed for an equalizer late, and the Golden Tornadoes felt like they had tied the game off a corner kick with two minutes remaining when a Geneva header possibly crossed the goal line before the Bethany goalkeeper got to it, but the referee decided it was not conclusive and allowed play to continue, much to the disgust of Geneva's players and fans.  It proved to be the last chance for Geneva as Bethany held on for the 1-0 victory.

Geneva outshot Bethany on the afternoon 9-6, including 7-6 in shots on goal, but Bethany got the only one that mattered.  Senior Liam O'Halloran (Elyria, Ohio/Elyria Catholic) led the offense with four shots, including three on goal.  Sophomore Nate Burkhart (Greensburg, Pa./Hempfield) got the start in goal and made five saves on the afternoon.

Geneva continues PAC play when it heads to Saint Vincent on Wednesday for a 4:00 p.m. match.  The Golden Tornadoes then return home to play Westminster next Saturday, on Geneva's Homecoming, for a 7:30 p.m. start.


Geneva College is a Christ-centered academic community that provides a comprehensive education to equip students for faithful and fruitful service to God and neighbor. Offering over 80 traditional undergraduate majors and programs, fully online Adult Degree Programs, and high-demand graduate degrees, Geneva's programs are recognized for their high quality. U.S. News & World Report ranks Geneva as a Top Three Best Value Regional University with one of the Top 100 engineering programs in the nation. Adhering to the truth of Scripture, a Geneva education is grounded in God's Word as well as in a core curriculum designed to prepare students vocationally to think, write and communicate well in today's world.