BEAVER FALLS, Pa. – What a difference a day makes. What a difference a year makes. One day after the Geneva College men's soccer team suffered a 5-0 defeat to Mount Union on Friday night, and one year after the Golden Tornadoes opened their season with a 4-0 loss to Lancaster Bible, Geneva turned things around by knocking off Lancaster Bible, 2-1, on Saturday evening on the final day of the Nate Ferraco Classic.
The men looked like a completely different team than the one that faced Mount Union the prior evening. Head Coach Gary Dunda moved some players around in the lineup, and his decisions proved effective almost immediately. The men opened the game on the front foot and played much crisper soccer than they had just 24 hours earlier. The game was a fairly even match for the first 45 minutes, but the Golden Tornadoes had a great chance to take the lead when junior Caleb Chambers was taken down in the box in the 41st minute. However, junior Gourav Vasdev missed the goal on the subsequent penalty kick, sending the two teams into the break scoreless.
Geneva got on the board early in the second half, though. A nice piece of passing in the 53rd minute allowed junior Kyle Lapoure to get into the box towards the right baseline, and he sent a pass across the box that met sophomore Wil Dunda's near-post run, and Dunda touched the ball inside the far post from about three yards away.
The Golden Tornadoes doubled their lead just three minutes later, in almost the exact same fashion, just from the left side of the field. This time it was junior Dominic Sambuco who dribbled to the left baseline, and his pass across the face of the goal found freshman Ojha Ojha, and Ojha easily deposited a shot into the back of the net from five yards away.
Lancaster Bible pulled one back in the 84th minute, making the final moments of the physical affair rather nervous for the Golden Tornado faithful in the stands, but the Golden Tornadoes prevented any further damage and held on for the 2-1 win.
Geneva finished with an 11-8 edge in shots, while holding a 7-3 advantage in shots on goal. Junior goalkeeper Evan Shale made two saves to earn his first career win.
The men's challenging non-conference schedule continues next week when the Golden Tornadoes host Baldwin Wallace on Tuesday for the final match of a season-opening three-game homestand. Start time is 7:00 p.m. on Reeves Field.
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).
