BEAVER FALLS, Pa. – The Geneva College men's soccer team used a second-half goal from sophomore Kyle Lapoure (Colorado Springs, Colo./The Classical Academy) to break through and give the Golden Tornadoes a 1-0 over victory over Hiram in a game Geneva controlled almost from start to finish. The Golden Tornadoes improved to 2-1-2 with the win, moving their record over .500.
Geneva entered Saturday night's game after a strong defensive effort in a scoreless draw against a previously undefeated Baldwin Wallace squad on Wednesday, and the Golden Tornadoes picked up right where they left off defensively in completely shutting down the Hiram offense. Geneva dominated possession through most of the first half but couldn't find a breakthrough as the game hit halftime still scoreless.
Senior goalkeeper Gabriel Kemp (Normalville, Pa./Connellsville) wasn't tested much during the game, but he came up big with a diving stop on Hiram's only real chance in the 62nd minute. Otherwise, the second half was played almost entirely in Hiram's half of the field. That set the stage for Lapoure's goal ten minutes later.
Sophomore Dominic Sambuco (Venetia, Pa./Peters Township) started the play by running down a Geneva cross through the box near Hiram's end line. He turned and fired a pass to Lapoure a couple yards inside the corner of the box, and Lapoure one-timed a left-footed shot into the far corner to put Geneva on the board.
Hiram never threatened over the final 20 minutes. Geneva felt they should have had a second goal when junior Carnel Kerr (Flankers, Jamaica/Carlynton) was taken down in the box with nine minutes to go, but the ref held his whistle let the play continue on. Regardless, Geneva easily held on for the 1-0 victory.
The shutout was Kemp's second straight. The senior was called on to make just one save, but it was an important one. As a team, Geneva outshot Hiram 17-5, including a 7-1 edge in shots on goal. The Golden Tornadoes also held an 8-0 advantage in corner kicks, with seven coming in the second half.
"I was really proud of the way we persevered and found the goal we needed to secure the win," said Head Coach Gary Dunda. "We've played five games over the last eight days, which has been really physically challenging for our guys, and this was a good way to finish that stretch. Hiram was very well organized defensively and made it tough to break through, but we kept pushing and earned a well-deserved victory."
Geneva heads back out onto the road next week for a game at Mount Aloysius on Wednesday, beginning at 5:00 p.m. The Golden Tornadoes then return home for a 3:00 p.m. contest against Wilmington.
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).
