BEAVER FALLS, Pa. – It certainly wasn't easy, and the Geneva College men's soccer team had to work overtime once again, but the Golden Tornadoes came through with another dramatic golden goal on Friday night, this one from the foot of freshman
Carnel Kerr (Flankers, Jamaica/Carlynton), to defeat Bethany 1-0 in double overtime. Geneva stayed perfect on the season, moving to 6-0 overall, 6-0 in the Presidents' Athletic Conference (PAC), while Bethany dropped to 2-3-1, 2-3-1 in the PAC.
Neither team was able to get much going offensively in the first half, as Geneva struggled to break through the Bethany compact defense and the Bison content to try for counterattacks. The Golden Tornadoes' best chance came when Kerr found himself open in the box in the 17
th minute, but his shot went straight into the chest of the Bethany goalkeeper. That was one of just two shots for Geneva in the first half, while Bethany managed just one.
The Golden Tornadoes looked like they had broken through two minutes into the second half when junior
Alex Yoder (Milton, Pa./Milton) put one into the back of the net, but his goal was waved off because he was ruled to have been just offsides. Senior
Chase Baxa (Slippery Rock, Pa./Slippery Rock) almost ended it with a minute remaining in regulation when his header from ten yards out off a cross looked ticketed for the upper corner of the net, but Bethany's goalie pushed it just over the bar to keep the game scoreless through regulation.
Two minutes into the first overtime period Geneva looked like it was about to get a well-deserved win. Yoder was taken down in the box, awarding the Golden Tornadoes a penalty kick. However, junior
Ian Gelsinger's (Greencastle, Pa./Greencastle-Antrim) attempt went over the bar, and the game remained scoreless through the rest of the first overtime period.
However, the two-minute mark was finally kind to Geneva in the second overtime period, after the Golden Tornadoes narrowly missed chances two minutes into both the second half and the first overtime period. Kerr corralled junior
Avery Wenger's (Greencastle, Pa./Greencastle-Antrim) throw-in in the middle of the box in some traffic, and he poked the ball past the keeper from four yards out, giving Geneva its second golden goal in two weeks.
Geneva held advantage in shots, 11-3, and shots on goal, 7-1, as Geneva controlled most of the play without giving Bethany any good chances to score. Sophomore
Gabe Kemp (Normalville, Pa./Connellsville) made the only save he was called on for in earning his second straight shutout.
"This was a fantastic and exciting college soccer game on Reeves Field tonight," said Head Coach
Gary Dunda. "These were two teams that fought to the bitter end, and two contrasting styles which made for a really fun matchup. I have a ton of respect for Coach Taal and the Bethany program, and I thought they played with a lot of energy tonight. I'm so proud of my guys to never give up and never give in and to stay hungry through the entire match, and our goal at the end was well deserved."
The win keeps the Golden Tornadoes in first place in the PAC, and it sets up a huge game on Tuesday night at W&J, who is the reigning PAC Champion and is sitting just a half game behind Geneva in the standings. The winner of the match, which starts at 6:00 p.m., will give itself an edge in the race for the #1 seed in the PAC Playoffs.
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).
