BEAVER FALLS, Pa. – A short-handed Geneva College women's soccer team picked up a come-from-behind victory on Monday night inside Reeves Stadium, knocking off Penn College 3-1 to earn its first victory of the season.  The Golden Tornadoes' record now stands at 1-1-1 as they wrap up their season-opening homestand and prepare to head out onto the road for the first time this year.

The game didn't start well for Geneva, who are missing multiple starters due to injury.  In the second minute, the Golden Tornado backline had some miscommunication on a ball into the box that allowed Penn's Wiley Egan to swoop in and poke the ball into the net, putting the Golden Tornadoes into an early hole and marking the third time in three games the women have seen their opponent strike first.

Despite the early goal, Geneva controlled the possession for most of the half, as Penn seemed content to wait for counter-attacks.  The Golden Tornadoes struggled to break through the Wildcat back line, though, and Penn's goalkeeper Nicole Lichtinger made a couple of nice saves from long range to keep Geneva off the board.

The Golden Tornadoes finally broke through in the 40^th minute when freshman Sarah Christel (Herndon, Va./Trinity Christian) received a pass from sophomore Emma Daku-Treas (Northumberland, Pa./Northumberland Christian) in the middle of the field, turned, and then sent a beautiful, arching shot from 20 yards out that dipped just under bar and over Lichtinger's outstretched hand.  That goal sent the two teams into the break tied at 1-1.

Geneva continued to maintain the majority of the possession as Penn waited for their opportunities to mount a counter-attack, and the Wildcats almost retook the lead in the 63rd minute when Sara Darlington's shot on a counter-attack hit the crossbar. 

Senior Katherine Estep (Dublin, Pa./Pennridge) finally put the Golden Tornadoes ahead when she collected a loose ball in the 79^th minute near the corner of the box and sent an impressive 25-yard curling ball into the far upper corner of the net.  It was the first lead of the season for the women.  Six minutes later, Geneva put the game away when Daku-Treas received a throw-in at the edge of the box, made a run to the end line and then cut the ball back to freshman Maci Shaffer (Columbiana, Ohio/Crestview) in front of the net, and Shaffer calmly slotted the ball inside the far post from eight yards out to seal the victory, 3-1.

For the third time this season, the women held the advantage in possession, shots and shots on goal.  The Golden Tornadoes generated a 23-15 edge in shots and an even better 10-2 advantage in shots on goal.  Shaffer, Daku-Treas, Estep, senior Lydia Beare (Mansfield, Ohio/Mansfield Christian) and sophomore Saige Musser (Denver, Pa./Cocalico) each registered four shots for Geneva.

"The second half felt like what we've been trying to build to over the past three games," said Head Coach Kelsey Morrison.  "I think everyone is starting to get comfortable in their positions and understand what we're trying to do and how to play together.  It was really good to finally get a win, and this should be something we can build upon."

The women will now head out the road for their next three matches, beginning with a trip to New York this weekend.  The Golden Tornadoes play SUNY-Delhi on Thursday at 6:00 p.m. before heading to St. John Fisher on Saturday for a 2:00 p.m. match.

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).