BEAVER FALLS, Pa. – It was an impressive start to the season for the Geneva College men's soccer team, with the Golden Tornadoes dominating almost every aspect of their 4-0 victory against visiting La Roche on a gorgeous Wednesday evening.

Geneva controlled the game from the opening kickoff, and the Golden Tornadoes scored in the 19^th minute off the head of sophomore Carnel Kerr (Flankers, Jamaica, Carlynton).  Kerr, who led the team in scoring last spring, picked up right where he left off when he headed home a cross from freshman Dominic Sambuco (Venetia, Pa./Peters Township) just inside the near post to give Geneva the early lead.

The Golden Tornadoes doubled their lead just moments before halftime when freshman Matt Longshaw (Medford, N.J./Shawnee) took a feed from junior Antonio Fiordilino (McDonald, Pa./West Allegheny) just inside the box and slotted home a shot that hit off the near post and eventually into the net, giving Geneva a 2-0 lead going into the break.  The Golden Tornadoes held a 10-0 advantage in shots at halftime, with the ball rarely crossing into Geneva's side of the field.

Geneva struck for its third goal in the 56^th minute when senior Ian Gelsinger (Greencastle, Pa./Greencastle-Antrim) got on the end of a corner from junior Noah Abdel-Nabi (Recklinghausen, Germany/Recklinghausen) and headed one home from eight yards out.

The Golden Tornadoes closed out the scoring in the 67^th minute when Sambuco received a short corner, passed it back to freshman Ian Tweed (Beaver Falls, Pa./Blackhawk), and Tweed drilled one from 25 yards just inside the far post, accounting for the final goal in Geneva's 4-0 victory.

The final stats showed how dominant Geneva's performance was.  The Golden Tornadoes outshot La Roche 26-2, including 15-0 in shots on goal.  Junior Gabe Kemp (Normalville, Pa./Connellsville) enjoyed a very quiet night, with the all-conference goalkeeper never required to make a stop in picking up his first shutout of the season.

"It's always great to win your first game of the year," said Head Coach Gary Dunda.  "This sets the tone for a good season, and I was really pleased with all our guys.  Our young players really stepped up and played well tonight, and we got great senior leadership from our veterans."

Geneva continues its season-opening six-game homestand on Saturday when the Golden Tornadoes host Marietta at 7:00 p.m.  Geneva will have a pregame ceremony before the match in remembrance of former coach Dave Murray, who tragically passed away this summer.  Murray is Geneva's all-time wins leader in the men's soccer program's history.


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).