BEAVER FALLS, Pa. – The Geneva College women's soccer team celebrated its Senior Day early on Saturday, hosting Saint Vincent in the middle of the remnants of Hurricane Ian, and the Golden Tornadoes saw the Bearcats score late and prevail with a 2-1 victory in extremely wet and rainy conditions. Geneva dropped to 3-6-2, 1-2 in the Presidents' Athletic Conference (PAC), while Saint Vincent improved to 4-2-2, 1-1-2 om the PAC.
Geneva had the better of the play in the first half, which was played in a pretty steady and heavy rain, but it was Saint Vincent's Tanisha Grewal who got the first goal, against the run of the play. She received a pass near the top of the box, made a move, and then beat sophomore goalkeeper Jade Farnsworth (New Brighton, Pa./Riverside) to the near post in the 22nd minute to give the Bearcats a 1-0 lead.
Geneva responded in the 40th minute courtesy of senior Katherine Estep (Dublin, Pa./Pennridge). Estep, who was one of three seniors recognized before the game, along with Kayla Hubbs (Sebring, Ohio/Saint Thomas Aquinas) and Paige Bartley (Darlington, Pa./Homeschool), secured a loose ball 40 yards from goal, took a couple of touches and then unleashed a 30-yard strike that just dipped under the crossbar to even the score at 1-1, which is where things stayed going into the half. The Golden Tornadoes held an 11-5 advantage in shots in the first period.
Saint Vincent controlled more of the possession in the second half, though Geneva had some great counterattack opportunities from Estep and sophomores Julia Robertson (Manchester, Conn./Manchester) and Emma Daku-Treas (Northumberland, Pa./Northumberland Christian) that the women were unable to convert.
Those missed chances proved costly as the Bearcats found the game-winner with nine minutes to go. Jessica Persin made a run down the right side, carrying the ball almost to the endline, before she sent what appeared to be intended as a cross from a very narrow angle just over the head of Farnsworth and off the inside of the far post and into the net, deflating the Golden Tornadoes. Saint Vincent held on from there for a 2-1 win.
Geneva finished with a 16-12 edge in shots, while both teams finished with seven shots on goal and five corner kicks in a very even contest. Farnsworth made five saves for the Golden Tornadoes.
The women will now head out of the road next week for two matches, starting with a game at Allegheny on Wednesday beginning 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).
