HIRAM, Ohio – The Geneva College men's soccer team broke through offensively on Saturday at Hiram, ending a long scoring drought, by scoring twice to defeat the Terriers 2-0. The victory improves Geneva's record to 3-3-1 on the season.
Geneva controlled much of the possession in the first half, but neither team was able to generate many chances until the Golden Tornadoes broke through in the 37th minute, ending a scoring drought of over three games. Junior Dominic Sambuco hit a curling cross into the box that sophomore George Cottenden beat the Hiram goalie to, and Cottenden headed in a goal from ten yards out to give Geneva the lead, which is where things stayed heading into halftime.
The Golden Tornadoes almost doubled their lead just minutes into the second half when freshman Ojha Ojha got in behind the defense, but a heavy touch as he entered the box allowed the Hiram keeper to come and clear the ball without a shot.
Fifteen minutes later, in the 65th minute, Geneva did find its insurance goal. The Golden Tornadoes earned a corner kick that sophomore Gabe Singh sent into the box. The Hiram defense cleared the ball back to Singh, who dribbled towards the baseline and sent a cross through the box where both senior Carnel Kerr and sophomore Caleb Thompson were waiting on the back post, and it was Thompson who tapped it into the empty net from five yards out to extend the Geneva lead to 2-0.
The Geneva defense never gave Hiram a good chance all game, and the Golden Tornadoes saw the game out from there for the well-earned victory.
Geneva finished with advantages of 14-8 in shots, and 5-3 in shots on goal, while also earning five corner kicks without giving up one to the Terriers. Junior goalkeeper Evan Shale earned his second shutout of the season by making three saves, all comfortable saves from long range because of the good work from the Geneva defensive backline.
The men wrap up the non-conference portion of their schedule with a match at Heidelberg on Wednesday at 4:00 p.m. The Golden Tornadoes then host Thiel next Saturday, September 23, to open conference play.
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).
