BEAVER FALLS, Pa. – The Geneva College men's soccer team earned an important Presidents' Athletic Conference (PAC) victory inside rain-drenched Reeves Stadium on Saturday evening, knocking off one of the hotter teams in the PAC, Saint Vincent, 2-1. Geneva improved to 5-3-3 overall, 2-1 in the PAC, while the Bearcats lost of the first time in seven matches in falling to 5-4-2, 1-1-2 in the PAC.
Most of the match was played in a steady rain with the remnants of Hurricane Ian pushing through the area. Neither team could generate many great chances in the first half on the soggy turf, with the game going into halftime scoreless with the Golden Tornadoes holding a 7-4 edge in shots.
The offenses picked up in the second half, though, as the precipitation slowed down to more of a misty rain, and the Golden Tornadoes struck first six minutes into the half. Sophomore Kyle Lapoure (Colorado Springs, Colo./The Classical Academy) received a lovely heel pass from junior Carnel Kerr (Flankers, Jamaica/Carlynton) just inside the corner of the box, and Lapoure took one touch and then hit a left-footed strike from 15 yards away that skimmed the underneath side of the crossbar before it hit the back of the net.
Geneva almost doubled its lead five minutes later on senior Antonio Fiordilino's (McDonald, Pa./West Allegheny) header from close range off a cross, but Bearcat keeper Kameron Rock made a great reflex save to keep the ball out of the net. Saint Vincent then took full advantage less than a minute later when Kevin Amouzou caught senior goalkeeper Gabriel Kemp (Normalville, Pa./Connellsville) a little off his line, and his chip from 20 yards away floated over Kemp's head and into the net to pull the Bearcats level.
It didn't take long for the Golden Tornadoes to pull back ahead, though. Geneva earned a free kick in the 62nd minute from 40 yards away from goal. Freshman Wil Dunda (Sewickley, Pa./Quaker Valley) sent a curling cross into the box which senior Cole Sauer (Middleburg, Pa./Midd-West) flicked onto the feet of Fiordilino's run, and Fiordilino poked the ball inside the far post from five yards away to regain the lead for the Golden Tornadoes, 2-1.
Geneva's defense tightened up over the final 30 minutes, never allowing the Bearcats anymore good chances, and the Golden Tornadoes held on for the 2-1 victory.
Geneva finished the game with a 13-8 edge in shots, including a 6-4 advantage in shots on goal. The Golden Tornadoes also held a 6-3 edge in corner kicks. Kemp made three saves to earn the victory.
"This was a really good team win," said Head Coach Gary Dunda. "I was really proud of the way our guys bounced back after a tough loss to Bethany earlier in the week. There are no easy games in the league this year. Every game is tough, so this is a very good win over a team that came in playing really good soccer."
Geneva heads out onto the road next week for two games, beginning with a match at Allegheny on Wednesday at 4:00 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).
