STEUBENVILLE, Ohio – It had been fairly smooth sailing for the Geneva College men's soccer team since Presidents' Athletic Conference (PAC) action began, starting conference play with seven straight victories. But the men got their stiffest test of the season on Wednesday night when they traveled to second place Franciscan, and after falling behind midway through the second half, Geneva managed to pull out a 2-2 draw with the Barons. The tie guarantees Geneva the top seed for the upcoming PAC playoffs, giving the Golden Tornadoes a 10-4-2 overall record, 7-0-1 in the PAC.
Geneva had the better of the play early, and that good play ultimately culminated in a goal. Sophomore Gabe Singh made a dribbling run towards the top of the box in the 21st minute and struck a beautiful, curling shot just inside the far post from 20 yards away to give the Golden Tornadoes an early lead.
It took Franciscan less than a minute to respond, though. The Barons earned a quick free kick 30 yards from goal shortly after the kickoff, and Franciscan sent a cross into the box that Lucas Cross got his head to, putting the ball into the back of the Geneva net. The goal seemed to energize the Barons, who had the better of the play over the latter part of the first half. Junior goalkeeper Evan Shale came up with a couple key saves to keep the game at 1-1 at the break.
Franciscan upped its play even more in the opening minutes of the second half, and the Barons took the lead after a tough call went against Geneva. Sophomore Blaise Burns made a great clearance of a ball on the line heading into the Geneva net, and the ball eventually went to junior Kyle Lapoure in the middle of the box. Lapoure chested the ball down and cleared the ball out, but the referee ruled Lapoure had used his hand to control the ball instead of his chest, giving Franciscan a penalty kick. Franciscan's Ryan Miller converted the kick eight minutes into the second half to give Franciscan a 2-1 lead.
Geneva began to regain a little better of the play over the next several minutes, and in the 65th minute the Golden Tornadoes caught a break. Sophomore Wil Dunda hit a shot from the corner of the Franciscan box that was going wide, but the ball was deflected by a Baron defender into the net, allowing Geneva to equalize at 2-2.
The game became more open over the final 20 minutes of the second half as both teams looked for a game-winning goal. Junior Caleb Chambers almost supplied it, but his left-footed shot with seven minutes remaining hit the post.
Franciscan almost found its game-winning goal in the closing seconds. The Barons sent a ball over the top that put Cross in on goal, but Shale made a huge save in a one-on-one situation to preserve the draw, 2-2.
Geneva holds a four-point lead in the PAC standings over Franciscan and a six-point lead over third place Waynesburg, but both of those teams have only one game remaining in PAC play, meaning no one is able to catch the Golden Tornadoes for the top spot in the standings. Geneva will finish the regular season with a game at Chatham on Saturday and a home game against Waynesburg on Wednesday. The tie also guarantees Geneva a bye in the first round of the PAC playoffs.
Through purposeful learning in a community reflecting the full spectrum of God's kingdom, a Geneva College experience inspires students to discover a faith-life calling in service to God and neighbor. Offering 195+ traditional undergraduate majors and programs, fully online Adult Degree Programs and high-demand graduate degrees, Geneva's programs are recognized for their high quality and affordability. 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 the International Association for Christian Education (IACE).
