BEAVER FALLS, Pa. – It was a tough way to end a tough weekend for the Geneva College men's soccer team, as it scored early but could not hold onto a second half lead, losing to Houghton on Saturday night, 2-1, on the second day of the Nate Ferraco Classic.  Houghton improved to 1-0-1, while Geneva fell to 0-2.

Things couldn't have started much better for Geneva when sophomore Ian Gelsinger (Greencastle, Pa./Greencastle-Antrim) got on the other end of a free kick from senior Jake Broadwick (McKees Rocks, Pa./Robinson Township Christian) to head in a goal from three yards out just three minutes into the game.  Gelsinger came up big again just seven minutes later when he cleared a Houghton shot off the line that was headed into the net.  That is where things stayed going into halftime, with Houghton holding a 5-2 lead in shots.

Houghton equalized just two minutes into the second half when Houghton got the benefit of a call in the Geneva box, leading to a penalty kick which the Highlanders converted to even the score at 1-1.  Geneva responded with a period of pressure midway through the second half, but the Golden Tornadoes couldn't find the back of the net, and the missed chances came back to haunt Geneva when Houghton's Caleb Kaiss found a loose ball in Geneva's box and deposited into the back of the net from ten yards out with just seven minutes remaining.  From there Geneva was unable to respond in dropping the match, 2-1.

Geneva outshot Houghton in the second half, 6-3, but Houghton scored the only two goals of the half despite Geneva's advantage.  For the game, both teams finished with eight shots, but the Highlanders held a 7-4 advantage in shots on goal.  Junior goalkeeper Nate Burkhart (Greensburg, Pa./Hempfield) finished with four saves, including a huge save in the 76^th minute that kept the game tied after a Highlander got behind the defense.

Geneva continues its season-opening five game homestand on Wednesday evening in search of its first victory of the season.  The Golden Tornadoes will take on Franciscan at 7:00 p.m.


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.