MEADVILLE, Pa. – The Geneva College women's soccer team suffered a heartbreaking loss on a rainy Monday evening at Allegheny, with a defensive miscue in the closing seconds allowing the Gators to tie the score, and Allegheny finished off the comeback with a goal in overtime to defeat the Golden Tornadoes, 2-1. Allegheny improved to 4-7, while Geneva dropped to 2-8.
Neither team was able to generate many significant scoring chances in the first half. Both teams were content to shoot from long range, with neither team registering a shot that threatened either goalie. Geneva did hold an 11-8 edge at the break.
During halftime, rain moved in, and most of the second half was played in a steady, if not heavy, rain. Despite the conditions, the Golden Tornadoes struck first in the 68th minute when sophomore Katie Bodenmiller (Westfield, N.Y./Westfield Academy and Central) put senior Lexi Meese (Sarver, Pa./Freeport) through, and Meese beat the Allegheny goalkeeper to the ball and poked it inside the near post from five yards out.
Allegheny immediately turned up the pressure looking for an equalizer. Freshman goalkeeper Jade Farnsworth (New Brighton, Pa./Riverside) made a big diving save three minutes after Geneva's goal, pushing the shot just wide of the post to keep the Gators off the board.
Allegheny continued to push forward, firing shots at every opportunity, but the Golden Tornadoes were on the verge of its best win of the season when heartbreak struck in the closing seconds. With just over 20 seconds remaining, Allegheny sent a long, desperation ball into the box off a set piece. Farnsworth settled under the ball to secure the victory, but the ball bounced off her arms and into oncoming path of Allegheny's Emily Orr, who poked the ball into the net to stun Geneva and send the game into overtime.
The Golden Tornadoes were unable to respond to the late-game goal. Allegheny had all the momentum, and the Gators finished off the comeback victory with a goal just over six minutes into overtime off the foot of Allegheny's Natasha Rosa.
Allegheny finished the game with a 25-19 edge in shots, including an 10-6 advantage in shots on goal, though most of both team's shots were from distance and not overly threatening. Farnsworth made eight saves in the loss.
This match was the last non-conference match of the season for the Golden Tornadoes, though next season the matchup with the Gators will be a conference match, with Allegheny slated to join the Presidents' Athletic Conference next season. Geneva returns to action on Wednesday with a 7:00 p.m. match at Franciscan.
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 145 traditional undergraduate majors and programs, fully online Adult Degree Programs and high-demand graduate degrees, Geneva's programs are recognized for their high quality. Geneva has one of the top 100 undergraduate engineering programs in the nation, according to
U.S. News and World Report. 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. Geneva was founded and is governed by the Reformed Presbyterian Church of North America (RPCNA) and is a founding member of both the Council for Christian Colleges and Universities (CCCU) and IACE (International Association for Christian Education).
