LATROBE, Pa. – The Geneva College women's soccer team took an early lead at Saint Vincent on Wednesday afternoon, but the Golden Tornadoes couldn't hold on and came up short against the Bearcats, 2-1.  Saint Vincent improved to 3-2-1, while Geneva dropped to 1-3.

Geneva got on the board first courtesy of senior Erin Houser (Lititz, Pa./Warwick) in the 16^th minute.  The forward, who was playing in her first game back after missing the last two weeks, took a ball around midfield and dribbled all the way to goal, and her shot deflected in off a Bearcat defender to give the Golden Tornadoes the early lead.

The Bearcats responded by turning up the pressure, and Saint Vincent broke through for an equalizer in the 35^th minute off a corner kick, sending the game to halftime tied at 1-1.  The Bearcats dominated the later half of the first half, finishing with a 15-3 advantage in shots, with freshman goalkeeper Julia Hart (Prospect, Pa./Slippery Rock) making ten saves to keep the game tied.

Saint Vincent took its first lead of the game just over two minutes into the second half.  The Bearcats' Hannah Irvine got in behind the Geneva defense and slotted one inside the near post to give Saint Vincent a 2-1 lead.  Geneva pushed for a tying goal in the second half, and the half proved much more even between the two teams, but the Golden Tornadoes came up short in dropping the 2-1 decision.

Saint Vincent finished the game with an 18-6 advantage in shots, including a 13-3 edge in shots on goal, but the shots were even in the second half at three apiece.  Hart ended up making 11 saves in the loss.

"We played hard, and we had our chances but just couldn't connect passes in the final third," said Head Coach Doug Miller.  "It was definitely hot in the sun, but we lacked urgency at times, and now more than ever we need players to step up.  It was great to see Erin get a goal early in the game, but we couldn't hold on for the win.  Injuries have really taken a toll on our roster, and our depth has made it difficult for us as well."

Geneva returns home for its next game when the Golden Tornadoes host Bethany on Saturday 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 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).