BEAVER FALLS, Pa. – If the last week wasn't dramatic enough for the Geneva College men's soccer team, during which the Golden Tornadoes found a way to pull out two double overtime victories, Geneva topped that in the semifinals of the Presidents' Athletic Conference (PAC) semifinals on Wednesday night against Westminster.  The game remained scoreless through regulation and two overtime periods, but the Golden Tornadoes prevailed 4-3 in penalty kicks to advance to the PAC Championship match at Washington & Jefferson on Saturday.

The semifinal match represented the second time in four days these two teams had squared off, with Geneva defeating the Titans in double overtime on Saturday, 1-0, at Westminster.  The Golden Tornadoes' PAC-leading defense had managed to hold the powerful Titan offense scoreless in that match, the first time Westminster had failed to score in 14 matches, so Geneva knew it would have its hands full again on Wednesday trying to contain Westminster once again.

Geneva came out aggressive in the early going.  Senior James Mincone's (East Northport, N.Y./Northport) shot from 18 yards out in the third minute required a good save from Westminster's goalie to keep Geneva off the board.  Two minutes later, the Titans appeared to catch a break when junior Chase Baxa (Slippery Rock, Pa./Slippery Rock) was taken down in the box, but the referee held onto his whistle and waived play on.

Over the next 15 minutes, the Westminster offense began to come to life, with Geneva's defense holding tight to keep the Titans off the board.  Freshman goalkeeper Gabe Kemp (Normalville, Pa./Connellsville) was called into action a couple of times to keep things scoreless.  Geneva steadied itself midway through the half, though, and neither team could generate any good scoring chances the rest of the period.  Westminster finished the half with a slim 6-5 advantage in shots.

The first part of the second half remained fairly even as well, but as the second half progressed, Westminster began to possess more and more of the ball, with most of the final 20 minutes played in Geneva's half of the field.  Despite being under consistent pressure for much of the last part of regulation, Geneva's defense stood strong, and Westminster was unable to break through as the game went to overtime, still scoreless.

Westminster continued its pressure into the first overtime, and Kemp came up with a tremendous save to keep the game going.  In the 98^th minute, Westminster's Ivan Mojica sent a curling shot from just inside the box that was headed into the upper corner, which would have ended Geneva's season, but Kemp used every inch of his long frame to leap and just get a finger tip on it, sending it over the bar to keep the Golden Tornadoes alive.

The game remained scoreless into the second overtime, and Kemp came up big again in the 103^rd minute when he made a reflex save on Ahmed Cisse's shot from short range to push the ball wide of the net, and the second overtime period finished without a goal from either team, sending the game to penalty kicks.

Head Coach Gary Dunda made a tactical decision to insert junior goalkeeper Nate Burkhart (Greensburg, Pa./Hempfield) into the goal for the pending penalty kicks, a move that had been decided before the match started, even with Kemp's stellar play during the match.  The move paid immediate dividends as Burkhart made a diving stop on Westminster's opening penalty kick to give Geneva the early advantage.

Senior Devaughn Johns (Mt. Pleasant Mills, Pa./Midd-West), junior Kevin Pasho (Smithville, Ohio/Central Christian), junior Zach O'Connor (Darlington, Pa./Blackhawk) and Baxa each stepped up during Geneva's penalties and cleanly converted their kicks, giving Geneva a 4-3 lead heading into the final two kicks.  The Golden Tornadoes just needed either another miss from Westminster or a goal on Geneva's final kick, and Westminster's final shot sailed just over the bar setting off a wild celebration on the field for the Golden Tornadoes.

Westminster finished the match with a 13-8 advantage in shots, including a 7-2 edge in shots on goal.  Kemp made seven saves for his second straight shutout against Westminster, his fourth shutout in five starts this season.    

"I couldn't be prouder of our group of young men to play as well and as hard as they did not just tonight, but also Saturday night against the same opponent," an exhausted Coach Dunda said after the match.  "It's very difficult to play and beat the same team back-to-back, especially a team that is of the caliber that Westminster is.  Their guys played very well, and we were probably a bit fortunate to hang on late and get the game to penalties.  Our guys stepped up during the penalties, though, and I give them a ton of credit.  It's a tough way for anyone to lose, but that's the game sometimes.

"As far as our guys are concerned now, we need to refocus and get ready for a very good W&J team.  I know this team is very excited to be in the championship match, and we'll be ready to go on Saturday."

The PAC Championship match is scheduled for 7:00 p.m. on Saturday at W&J.  The Golden Tornadoes will now get an opportunity to avenge its home loss to the Presidents from two weeks ago on Geneva's Senior Night, a match in which Geneva fell apart during the final 15 minutes of the first half, turning a 1-0 Geneva lead into a 4-1 loss. 


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.