PITTSBURGH, Pa. – On Saturday afternoon, the Geneva College women's soccer team earned the first of two wins it needs to close out its season, coming up with a 3-0 shutout at Chatham. That leaves the Golden Tornado needing a win in their final regular season game of the year on Tuesday to earn a spot in the Presidents' Athletic Conference (PAC) playoffs. The women are now 5-8-2 overall, 4-4-1 in the PAC.
Junior Saige Musser almost got Geneva on the board just two minutes into the game, but her shot from almost 30 yards away hit the post and bounced away. The shot was a sign of things to come for Musser, who would make her impact felt on the game multiple times.
Geneva broke through in the 39th minute. The women earned a corner kick, which Musser took and delivered perfectly to sophomore Anna Ulmer on the near post, and Ulmer headed the ball across the goal and into the far side of the net to get the Golden Tornadoes on the board.
Five minutes later, just before halftime, Musser went to work again. She made a dribbling run down the left side, beating Chatham's outside defender. As Musser neared the endline, she sent a pass into the middle of the box where junior Julia Robertson was waiting, and Robertson hit a beautiful left-footed shot inside the near post to double the Geneva lead heading into the break.
Chatham could never manage much of an attack against Geneva's backline, and the women continued to run their offense through Musser in the second half, who generated two early shots that forced Chatham's goalkeeper to make a save.
Geneva added a third goal in the 61st minute, against off a corner kick from Musser. This time she delivered a beautiful ball into the middle of the box where freshman Noelle Beare got her head on it, knocking it into the net for her first career goal.
The women saw out the win from there, keeping Chatham off the board in delivering the important 3-0 shutout.
Geneva finished the game with a 14-9 edge in shots. Junior goalkeeper Jade Farnsworth made five saves to earn the shutout. Musser finished with six shots, three on goal, and three assists to lead the offensive attack.
The win sets up essentially a playoff game for the women on Tuesday in their final regular season game of the year. Geneva hosts Waynesburg at 7:00 p.m., with the Yellow Jackets currently one point ahead of the Golden Tornadoes in the PAC standings in the race for the final playoff spot. Geneva must win the game, while the women would see their season come to an end with a draw or a loss.
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).
