BEAVER FALLS, Pa. – In a game without a lot of offensive chances, it was juniors Olivia Anson and Saige Musser that delivered a key moment of excellent play to give the Golden Tornadoes the goal they needed to knock off Allegheny and earn a key Presidents' Athletic Conference (PAC) win, 1-0. Geneva improved to 4-5-1 overall, 3-1 in the PAC.
The women entered the match knowing this would be an important game as both teams figured to be competing for one of the last couple PAC playoffs spots, so the winner would gain the upper hand if it came down the tiebreaker between these two schools. The two teams appeared to be fairly evenly matched coming into the game, and that proved to be the case. Geneva had not defeated Allegheny since 1995, though that stretch spanned just eight games.
Allegheny got the best chance of the first half, and that came just over 30 seconds into the game. Allegheny's Julia Schworm, the leading scorer for the Gators, got around the edge of the Geneva defense and in on goal. Fortunately, her shot from a tight angle when just wide of the far post. Neither team was able to generate any good chances for the rest of the half, and the two teams went into the break still scoreless.
Junior goalkeeper Jade Farnsworth wasn't called into action much on the night, but she came up with a key save on a shot from Schworm in the 52nd minute, pushing the shot headed towards the upper corner just wide of the post.
It was an excellent piece of play in the 58th minute that gave Geneva the goal it needed. Musser received a ball just outside the corner of the box. She beat her defender and headed to the endline where she sent a beautiful cross through the box that was perfectly timed with Anson's far-post run, and Anson headed the ball into the empty net to give the Golden Tornadoes the lead.
Geneva almost doubled its lead four minutes later when junior Julia Robertson's shot from 15 yards out hit the top of the crossbar. Sophomore Emily Garvin almost scored in the 73rd minute when her dipping shot from 30 yards away just went over the bar.
Allegheny threw numbers forward over the final 15 minutes looking for the equalizer, but the Golden Tornado defense was able to hold strong and preserve the 1-0 shutout.
Geneva finished with an 11-7 edge in shots and a 3-1 advantage in shots on goal. The four total shots on goal between the two teams reflected the fact there weren't many good scoring chances for either squad. Farnsworth earned the shutout by making the one shot she faced on the evening from Schworm.
The women have three days to rest up before hosting Grove City on Friday at 7:00 p.m. for a match on homecoming weekend. The Golden Tornadoes are looking for their first win over the Wolverines since 1999.
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).
