BEAVER FALLS, Pa. – The Geneva College men's soccer team looked like it had a year and half worth of pent-up frustration to release while waiting for this season to finally arrive, and the Golden Tornadoes let loose an offensive barrage of goals in an 8-1 win over the Tomcats.  It was the most goals Geneva has scored since scoring eight times in an 8-2 win over Franciscan in 2014.  Geneva improved to 1-0, while Thiel fell to 0-1.

Despite the big number of goals, it actually took a while for the Golden Tornadoes to get on the board.  Geneva dominated the play early but couldn't find the back of the net, including when back-to-back shots, just seconds apart, ricocheted off the crossbar in the 24^th minute.

Geneva finally broke through in the 29^th minute when senior Kevin Pasho (Smithville, Ohio/Central Christian) converted on a penalty kick.  The goal seemed to unleash the Golden Tornado offense, and goals started coming fast and furiously after that.

Senior Zach O'Connor (Darlington, Pa./Blackhawk) scored in the 40^th minute off a feed from senior Luke Herman (Greencastle, Pa./Canon McMillan), and four minutes later sophomore Paul Peachey (Lititz, Pa./Lancaster Mennonite) scored off assists from senior Mason Mee (Greenlawn, N.Y./Harborfields) and freshman Justin Finnegan (Pleasant Hills, Pa./Thomas Jefferson).  Geneva took a 3-0 lead into the halftime break.

The goals kept coming quickly for Geneva in the second half.  In the 49^th minute, junior Ian Gelsinger (Greencastle, Pa./Greencastle-Antrim) headed one into the net off a cross from Pasho, and just seventeen seconds later junior Alex Yoder (Milton, Pa./Milton Area) found the net off a pass from sophomore Antonio Fiordilino (McDonald, Pa./West Allegheny).

Just five minute later, Pasho struck again when he dribbled through the Tomcat defense and scored in the 54^th minute.  Three minutes later, Fiordilino's header off a pass from sophomore Noah Abdel-Nabi (Recklinghausen, Germany/Recklinghausen) made it 7-0.

Thiel got its only score of the game in the 63^rd minute, and O'Connor finished off the scoring with his second of the night off a feed from junior Jake Marsan (Eden Prairie, Minn./Homeschool).

Geneva outshot Thiel 30-5, including a 21-2 advantage in shots on goal.

"It was great to play again tonight on Reeves Field," said Head Coach Gary Dunda.  "I was happy for our guys because they had the chance to play the game they love.  So many things have been taken from them because of the COVID-19 pandemic.  We played with a great spirit and it was fun to win again.  I am very proud of the entire group not just for tonight, but for how they have carried themselves over the past year."

Geneva returns to action next Saturday with a 7:00 p.m. home game against 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 is included on Kiplinger's Personal Finance's "2019 Best College Values" list and has one of the top 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.