BEAVER FALLS, Pa. – For the first 67 minutes of the Geneva College women's soccer team's game with Marietta on Saturday night, the two teams battled evenly to a 1-1 draw. However, the Pioneers stunned the Golden Tornadoes with four goals in less than three minutes in the second half, a flurry of goals rarely seen, and it turned the tight contest into a lopsided one with the Pioneers leaving town with a 5-1 victory. Geneva dropped to 1-3-1 with the loss, while Marietta improved to 3-2.
Geneva got off to a great start when, just over two minutes into the game, junior Saige Musser stole a pass in Marietta's defensive third and shot a ball from 30 yards out over the goalkeeper's head, staking the Golden Tornadoes to an early lead.
Marietta responded in the 20th minute on a goal by Emma Egli to pull level, and the final 25 minutes of the half played out quite evenly between the two squads. The score was tied at 1-1, with each team collecting six shots, heading into the break.
The even play continued for the first 20 minutes of the second half before the Pioneers broke through in a big way. Demi Mills hit a long shot that hit the bottom of the crossbar and bounced down beyond the goal line to break the tie, and it seemed to deflate the Golden Tornadoes while giving Marietta a big burst. Over the next two and a half minutes, the Pioneers scored three more times to stun Geneva and take a commanding 5-1 lead. It was an uncharacteristic sequence for a Golden Tornado squad that had surrendered just three goals in their first four games this year.
Geneva finally regained its composure and mounted a better attack. Junior Olivia Anson hit the right post in the 75th minute. Less than a minute later, senior Lydia Beare's header off a corner kick hit the left post, and fittingly eight minutes later freshman Abby Stover's line drive shot hit the crossbar. It just wasn't meant to be for the Golden Tornadoes on the night, falling 5-1.
The final stats show the competitive nature of the game, with Geneva's late flurry of shots giving it a slim 17-16 edge in shots, though the Pioneers held a 10-6 edge in shots. The Golden Tornadoes also had a 3-1 advantage in corner kicks.
The women will try to shake off the loss when they head to Hiram on Tuesday to play their final non-conference game of the season, beginning at 7:00 p.m. The Golden Tornadoes open conference play next Saturday with a home game 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).
