GROVE CITY, Pa. – How much late-game heartbreak can one team face in one season? Fans of Geneva College men's soccer team must have felt like they were watching the same traumatic re-run of a game on Friday night when the Golden Tornadoes traveled to Grove City. Unable to find a goal despite multiple chances, Geneva concedes late, and that was the same script on Friday night, with the Wolverines finding the game-winner with less than three minutes remaining to defeat Geneva, 1-0. Grove City improved to 6-6 and stayed perfect in the Presidents' Athletic Conference (PAC) at 4-0, while Geneva fell to 3-7-2, 1-3 in the PAC. It's the worst start in conference since 2013 for the Golden Tornadoes.
Geneva had the better of the play throughout the first half, but as been the case all season, the Golden Tornadoes could not convert one of their many shots into a goal. Geneva finished the half with a 10-7 edge in shots, including a 6-2 advantage in shots on goal. The Golden Tornadoes have also yet to give up a first-half goal this season.
It was Grove City who applied more of the pressure in the second half. The Wolverines put together a very strong stretch of sustained attack for about five minutes midway through the half, generating multiple corner kicks, as well as a free kick from just outside the box that junior goalkeeper Gabe Kemp (Normalville, Pa./Connellsville) made a tremendous, fingertip save to push the shot just over the bar in the 62nd minute.
Geneva managed to navigate through that stretch unscathed and began to generate more possession and attack, but the Golden Tornadoes just couldn't find a goal, and it was Grove City who finally broke through with less than three minutes remaining off a counterattack. Sam Belitz found Hunter Hardin with a cross, and Hardin deposited the cross into the back of the net to give the Wolverines the game-winner.
Grove City finished the game with a 16-14 edge in shots, though Geneva held a 7-4 advantage in shots on goal.
The season numbers are really frustrating for the Golden Tornadoes. In all seven of Geneva's losses this season the Golden Tornadoes have been tied, or leading, with 20 minutes remaining but conceded late in every game despite not conceding a single goal in the first two-thirds of any game this year. All 12 goals Geneva has given up in its 12 games have come in the final 31 minutes. Nine have come in the final 15 minutes, and five in the final five minutes.
Geneva will look to turn the tide on Tuesday when the Golden Tornadoes return home to host Chatham at 7:30 p.m. At 1-3 in the PAC, Geneva has five games left to climb into the top six of the PAC standings in order to qualify for the PAC playoffs. The three teams Geneva has lost to, Westminster, Franciscan and Grove City, are the top three teams in the PAC with a combined 10-0 record. Chatham is the fourth place team in the PAC with a 2-1 record in conference, so the schedule has certainly been grueling early on for the Golden Tornadoes.
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).
