BEAVER FALLS, Pa. – Geneva College Men's Soccer Head Coach Gary Dunda likes to schedule strong non-conference opponents early in the season to give his squad a test, and Friday night's season-opening match was no different.  Facing a Capital University squad that advanced to the second round of the NCAA Division III Playoffs last season, Geneva battled all game long before falling in the first overtime, 1-0, on the first day of the Nate Ferraco Classic.  Capital is now 1-0, while Geneva falls to 0-1.

Capital came out strong early, and Geneva had several nervous moments as the Crusaders had a couple of early scoring chances.  The Golden Tornadoes managed to keep Capital off the scoreboard, though, and 20 minutes into the game Geneva began to settle down.  However, Geneva could only manage one shot on goal in the scoreless first half, compared to seven for Capital.

Geneva came out much better in the second half and had the better of the play for stretches.  The Golden Tornadoes almost took the lead in the 50^th minute when senior James Mincone's (East Northport, N.Y./Northport) header from eight yards out off a corner kick went inches wide of the far post.  Ten minutes later, freshman Antonio Fiordilino (McDonald, Pa./West Allegheny) stole the ball and dribbled in on goal, but his shot from the left of the box went just wide.

Capital put together some late pressure of its own in the closing two minutes, but junior goalkeeper Nate Burkhart (Greensburg, Pa./Hempfield) managed to help keep the Crusaders off the board as the horn sounded, sending the game to overtime.

Just five minutes into the first overtime period, though, Capital broke through when Tristan Bentley headed one into the net off a long Crusader throw-in, giving Capital the season-opening 1-0 victory.

"Capital is an extremely good team, and they are very well coached," said Dunda after the game.  "Their style of play is very hard to play against.  I give our guys a lot of credit for battling into overtime.  I thought we played much better in the second half, but we have to come out with a more focused effort from the beginning.  But tomorrow night's another night, and we're looking forward to it."

Capital outshot Geneva 11-4, with a 4-1 advantage in shots on goal.  Burkhart finished the game with three saves.

Geneva plays at home again tomorrow night when it takes on Houghton College at 7:00 p.m. in the second day of the Nate Ferraco Classic.


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.