BEAVER FALLS, Pa. – The Geneva College women's soccer team dominated its game with Houghton on Wednesday night in every way but the most important one. The Highlanders used a goal in the opening minutes and then held off a Golden Tornado onslaught of shots to leave town with a 1-0 victory over Geneva. The loss drops the women's record to 1-1-1.
Houghton came out with a burst in the opening minutes, and the Highlanders took a lead just over two minutes in off a corner kick. The cross into the box bounced off multiple players before Houghton's Karryne Mims corralled the ball and looped a ball inside the far post to drop Geneva into an immediate hole.
It would not be inaccurate to say that the Golden Tornadoes outplayed Houghton for the final 87 minutes, and sometimes significantly for long stretches, but Geneva could not find the back of the net. All of the Golden Tornado shots were either off target or right at Houghton's goalkeeper, Alliah Fluent. Geneva held a 10-4 edge in shots at the break, and it felt like a goal would eventually come for the Golden Tornadoes. Unfortunately, it never did.
Geneva almost scored a minute into the second half when senior Lydia Beare's long shot was just pushed wide by Fluent's diving save. It was Fluent's best save of the night. The ball spent long stretches in Houghton's half of the field, but to no avail.
Geneva looked to have finally broken through with ten minutes remaining off a nifty set piece just outside the box. Junior Saige Musser appeared to have been onsides when she received a pass in the box and scored, but the assistant referee signaled offside anyway, and the goal was taken away. It exemplified the extremely frustrating night for the Golden Tornadoes, who eventually succumbed, 1-0.
The stats show the domination Geneva held for long stretches, finishing with a 24-6 edge in shots and a 16-4 advantage in shots on goal. Musser led the team with eight shots total, four on goal. The Golden Tornadoes also held a 7-4 advantage in corner kicks.
Despite the frustrating result, the women continue to show good progress under Head Coach Gary Dunda, and the Golden Tornadoes will head out onto the road this weekend for their first road trip hoping to find a way to finish off some of their chances. Geneva travels to Mount Aloysius on Saturday for a 2:00 p.m. contest with the Mounties.
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).
