BEAVER FALLS, Pa. – The Geneva College men's soccer team appeared to be headed for a season-ending win over Franciscan on Wednesday night that would have secured the Golden Tornadoes the top seed for the upcoming Presidents' Athletic Conference (PAC) playoffs, but the Barons scored with eight seconds remaining to pull out a 2-2 draw. The result gives Franciscan the top seed and drops Geneva into the two seed. The Golden Tornadoes do wrap up the regular season without a loss, finishing 12-0-5 overall, 6-0-4 in the PAC.
Franciscan entered the game with a one-point lead over Geneva for first place in the conference standings by virtue of one less tie in conference play. That allowed the Barons to play for a tie to secure the top seed, while Geneva needed to win the match.
Things could not have started any better for Geneva. Senior Carnel Kerr scored in the 28th minute off a feed from junior Gabe Singh, and three minutes later Singh hit a beautiful curling shot from the corner of the box that just snuck inside the far post, doubling the Golden Tornado lead.
Less than two minutes later, Kerr almost scored again, but his shot from the edge of the box hit the post, and the two teams eventually went into the halftime break with Geneva leading 2-0.
Franciscan pulled one back in the 56th minute when the Barons were given a penalty kick after some contact in the box, and Ryan Miller converted the chance into a goal.
The Golden Tornadoes had a couple of chances to respond by finding a third goal, but junior George Cottenden's close range shots just missed, one wide and one just over the bar.
Geneva still looked to be in great shape, though, gaining control of the game while not allowing the Barons any real chances. However, with 20 seconds remaining, Franciscan had a throw-in at midfield, which the Barons sent to their goalie, Aiden Miller, who had pulled all the way up. Miller sent a long ball into the box for one last chance, and after a little pushing and shoving, the ball fell to Ryan Miller who scored from close range with eight seconds left to stun the Golden Tornadoes and give Franciscan the draw that it needed.
Geneva finished the game with a 12-10 edge in shots, including a 5-3 advantage in shots on goal.
The Golden Tornadoes will now await the winner of the quarterfinal matchup between No. 3 Grove City and No. 6 W&J, with Geneva hosting the semifinal match next Wednesday evening. Franciscan will play the winner of Chatham and Allegheny.
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).
