BEAVER FALLS, Pa. – The Geneva College men's soccer team suffered a frustrating loss on Wednesday night as a talented Mount Aloysius squad scored with five minutes remaining to leave town with a 1-0 victory, despite numerous Golden Tornado chances to crack the net in the first half. Geneva has now been held scoreless for three straight games, the first time in almost two years the men have been held scoreless that long. Geneva dropped to 2-3-1 with the loss, while Mount Aloysius improved to 3-0-2.
The men knew it would have to play some of their best soccer of the season against a Mountie squad that had already defeated Presidents' Athletic Conference foes Bethany, 2-0, and Saint Vincent, 4-0, as well as drawing with a Buffalo State team that defeated Geneva 5-0. And the Golden Tornadoes did just that from the opening kickoff, creating numerous chances to score and outplaying the Mounties for the first 45 minutes, yet without a reward.
Sophomore Wil Dunda had the first chance just two minutes into the game when he got onto the end of a cross from five yards out, but he sent his open shot just wide. Seven minutes later, junior Darren Main got on the end of a cross, but his header went just over the bar. Ten minutes later, Main's shot from inside the box hit the post. Seven minutes later, sophomore Gabe Singh got in behind the Mount Aloysius defense, but his attempted chip over charging Aloysius goalie Luke Priestly was just deflected and went over the bar. The Mounties were unable to generate much offensively and were fortunate to head into the break without conceding. Geneva held at 7-2 edge in shots at the half.
The second half was a different story, though. The first 20 minutes were fairly even before the Mounties started to turn up the pressure, and much of the final 25 minutes was played in Geneva's half of the field. The Mounties had a great chance when Mount Aloysius was given a penalty kick in the 68th minute as a cross deflected off a Geneva hand, but junior goalkeeper Evan Shale stood tall, saving the initial penalty and then making a great reaction save on the rebound to keep the game scoreless.
The Mounties kept attacking, though, and Geneva was not able to generate much possession to regain control. Mount Aloysius finally broke through with five minutes remaining off a deep throw in. Geneva got to the ball first in the middle of the box, but a failed clearance went right to Sean Barrant at the top of the box, and Barrant squeezed an open shot inside the far post to break the tie. The Golden Tornadoes were unable to find the equalizer late and fell, 1-0.
The Mounties outshot Geneva 14-3 in the second half and 16-10 for the game. Shale made six saves in a valiant effort to keep Mount Aloysius off the board.
Geneva wraps up non-conference play with two road matches. The first one is this Saturday at Hiram at 1:00 p.m., followed by a game at Heidelberg next Wednesday. The Golden Tornadoes open conference play next Saturday, September 23, with a home match against Thiel.
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).
