BETHANY, W.Va. – The Geneva College men's soccer team broke out its offense early and often on Tuesday afternoon at Bethany, scoring three times in the first 25 minutes on its way to a 4-0 victory over the Bison.  Geneva moved its record over .500 for the first time this year at 8-7 overall, 4-1 in the Presidents' Athletic Conference (PAC).  Bethany fell to 3-12, 2-3 in the PAC.

So far this season it had been Geneva's defense that had led the way, but the offense took the lead against the Bison.  Head Coach Gary Dunda, in an effort to generate more offense, moved junior starting defender Chase Baxa (Slippery Rock, Pa./Slippery Rock) up top, and it paid immediate dividends when Baxa scored on a header off a long throw-in from senior Devaughn Johns (Mt. Pleasant Mills, Pa./Midd-West) just eight minutes into the game.

Baxa found the net again in the 21^st minute when he scored off another header, this one off a cross from junior Luke Herman (Greencastle, Pa./Greencastle-Antrim), doubling the Golden Tornado lead.  Just three minutes later, junior Zach O'Connor (Darlington, Pa./Blackhawk) made it 3-0 when he put a missile of a shot into the upper corner of the Bethany goal off a free kick from 30 yards out.  That's where the score stayed heading into halftime.  The Golden Tornadoes had 12 shots in the half, seven of them on goal, while Bethany managed just one shot that was blocked, leaving junior goalkeeper Nate Burkhart (Greensburg, Pa./Hempfield) with a very quiet half of action.

Baxa almost became the first Golden Tornado since Jake McCracken in 2011 to score a hat trick, when in the 48^th minute his header off another long throw-in hit the crossbar.  Geneva found one more goal when freshman C Van Than (Charlotte, N.C./Independence) tapped in a cross from freshman Noah Abdel-Nabi (Recklinghausen, Germany/Recklinghausen) in the 82^nd minute, finishing off the 4-0 victory.

"It was good to get a conference road win today," said Coach Dunda.  "The boys really focused and executed the full 90 minutes.  We are now excited to come back home and play this Saturday on senior night."

Geneva finished the game with a dominating 24-4 advantage in shots, including a 13-1 edge in shots on goal.  Baxa's goals were the first of the season for the junior, and his four shots, all on goal, were a team-high.  O'Connor and Than's goals were their first collegiate goals.  Burkhart wasn't called on much for the Golden Tornadoes, making one save for his third straight shutout.  Geneva has now gone 347 minutes without conceding a goal.

The Golden Tornadoes return home for a big match on Saturday against Washington & Jefferson, beginning at 5:00 p.m.  The Presidents are currently 3-0-1 in the PAC and atop the standing.


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 115 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 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.