BEAVER FALLS, Pa. – On a rainy and dreary Saturday evening, the weather matched the result for the Geneva College men's soccer team.  The Golden Tornadoes celebrated their four seniors before the match started, and then Washington & Jefferson proceeded to find the net four times in the first half on its way to a convincing 4-1 victory.  W&J improved to 8-7-2, 5-0-1 in the Presidents' Athletic Conference (PAC), while the loss drops Geneva to 8-8 overall, 4-2 in the PAC.

Geneva came into the match playing some of its best soccer of the season, riding a three-match winning streak, including a 4-0 win over Bethany earlier in the week.  The matchup with the Presidents represented a match of contrasting styles.  Geneva came in with the PAC's leading defense, while W&J entered with the hottest offense since conference play began.  Unfortunately on this night, the Presidents' strength won out.

The match started well for Geneva.  Sophomore Alex Yoder (Milton, Pa./Milton Area) got on the end of a cross by senior Devaughn Johns (Mt. Pleasant Mills, Pa./Midd-West) to score from three yards out, giving the Golden Tornadoes the early lead just under 17 minutes into the game.  Just two minutes later, junior Zach O'Connor's (Darlington, Pa./Blackhawk) laser of a free kick from 30-yards out slammed off the cross bar, almost doubling the Geneva lead.

Unfortunately, things fell apart for Geneva midway through the first half, beginning with a defensive mistake.  Junior goalkeeper Nate Burkhart (Greensburg, Pa./Hempfield) received a back pass from his defense, but he waited too long to get rid of the ball, and W&J's Michael Komaniak charged in and stole the ball from Burkhart.  Once Komaniak took possession of the ball, he easily scored into an empty net to even the score in the 27^th minute. 

The defensive miscue seemed to rattle the Golden Tornadoes, as W&J immediately went on the offensive with an onslaught of goals.  Beginning with the Presidents' first goal in the 27^th minute, W&J scored four times in 14-minute stretch to stun Geneva and put them in an almost unrecoverable position.  The halftime break eventually came to give the Golden Tornadoes a chance to regroup, but the damage had been done.  W&J finished the half with an 11-6 advantage in shots.

When the second half arrived, Geneva dominated possession, as W&J seemed content play back and absorb Geneva's pressure, looking for a counter-attack.  The Golden Tornadoes had multiple chances to find a second goal, but neither team found the net in the second half, and the Presidents closed out their impressive 4-1 victory.

Geneva finished the match with a 15-14 advantage in shots, including a 9-8 edge in shots on goal.  But W&J proved the more clinical team on the night, converting its chances and punishing the Golden Tornadoes for their defensive mistakes.

The loss prevents Geneva from clinching a playoff spot, while also making it unlikely for the team to begin the playoffs at home, if they do qualify.  While the Golden Tornadoes still sit solidly in fourth place heading into the final week of the regular season, Waynesburg is lurking at 2-2-3, with Geneva heading to Waynesburg next for a match on Wednesday at 7:00 p.m.  Geneva will likely need to get a result against either the Yellow Jackets or in its final game at Westminster to guarantee a spot in the playoffs.


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.