BEAVER FALLS, Pa. – In what proved to be just another chapter in the classic games staged by the men's soccer teams of Geneva College and Grove City College, two of the powerhouse programs in the Presidents' Athletic Conference (PAC), junior Cole Sauer's (Middleburg, Pa./Midd-West) golden goal in the second overtime period gave the Golden Tornadoes a dramatic 3-2 victory over the visiting Wolverines.  Geneva improved to 3-0 on the season, while Grove City dropped to 2-1.

It was Grove City who actually opened the scoring in the fifth minute when Holton Gwaltney headed home a loose ball in the box, putting the Golden Tornadoes in an early hole.

The lead didn't last long, though, thanks to a tremendous goal from senior Luke Herman (Greencastle, Pa./Greencastle-Antrim).  Herman was the first to get to a clearance off a Geneva corner kick, and his one-time laser beam shot from 30 yards out found the top right corner, evening the score in the 9^th minute.  That's where the game stayed heading into the halftime break.

Geneva took its first lead of the game midway through the second half, with the goal coming off another corner kick in the 66^th minute.  Sophomore Noah Abdel-Nabi (Recklinghausen, Germany/Recklinghausen) sent his cross across the box to junior Ian Gelsinger (Greencastle, Pa./Greencastle-Antrim), and he headed the ball back across the net to junior Avery Wenger (Greencastle, Pa./Greencastle-Antrim), who deposited a header into the back of the net from just two yards out.

Grove City had a response, though, as just eight minutes later, in the 74^th minute, Kenna Roewer hit a beautiful, curling, left-footed shot from just outside the box inside the far post, pulling the Wolverines level at 2-2.

Neither team could find a winner in the remainder of regulation, nor could either team find a golden goal in the first overtime period.  Midway through the second overtime period, though, Sauer provided his magic.  Gelsinger took a throw-in deep in Grove City's end of the field, and the Wolverines cleared it right back to Gelsinger on the wing.  Gelsinger settled the ball and then sent a perfect cross back into the box where Sauer was waiting in front of the net, and his header from three-yards out was the game-winner, setting off a wild celebration for Geneva players and fans.

It was a fitting end for the Golden Tornadoes, who had the better of the play for longer stretches than Grove City had in the match, which is reflected in the shot totals.  Geneva held a 17-7 edge in shots, including a 9-4 edge in shots on goal.  There were 33 fouls called in the game, including four yellow cards, indicative of the physical nature in which these two teams play.

"This is just another classic in the great Geneva and Grove City rivalry," said Head Coach Gary Dunda.  "Grove City is always so talented and so well coached, and our matchups almost always come down to the end.  I'm so proud of the way our guys fought back after falling behind early.  Luke's goal was one of the best goals I've ever seen from a Geneva player, and Avery's goal was the result of set piece.  Grove City's second goal was a really great strike, but for our guys to bounce back again, I just couldn't be more proud.  Gelsinger played a great ball, and Cole finished it off to give our guys the win."

Geneva is now tied for first place in the PAC with defending champion W&J.  The Golden Tornadoes next head out onto the road for the first time this season, traveling to Chatham on Tuesday to take on the Cougars at 7:30 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 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.