BEAVER FALLS, Pa. – After having their original season opener cancelled due to lightning yesterday, the Geneva men's soccer team started their 2024 season with a bang by way of a 7-0 victory over Penn State Altoona tonight. The win was the Golden Tornadoes' largest shutout victory since 2010, when they beat Penn State Beaver 8-0 in Gary Dunda's first season as head coach. The victory gives Geneva a 1-0 record to start the season, while the Lions fall to 0-2 after suffering their second loss in as many days.

Junior Mike Rogers got the scoring started for Geneva in the 17^th minute, taking a shot from the right corner that was deflected by the goalkeeper across the face of the net. After glancing off of the keeper's glove, it bounced once on the endline before the spin on the ball carried it over the line to put the men up 1-0.

Five minutes later, a corner kick from junior Wil Dunda reached the feet of Rogers again, who pushed the ball up top to the 18-yard line where senior Kyle Lapoure was waiting. Lapoure struck the ball low and with power into the bottom left corner of the net, sending it through multiple members of the Altoona defense as he did. Sophomore Collin Yeatts rounded out the first half scoring by putting away a loose ball in the 44^th minute that had originally been shot by freshman Adam Thompson and deflected by the Lions' goalkeeper.

Geneva again controlled the second half right from the whistle, but it wasn't until the 60^th minute that they would score again. Fifth-year player Carnel Kerr received a short cross from junior Gabe Singh and headed the ball into the net from five yards out, making the GTs' lead 4-0. The men struck again in the 76^th minute when sophomore Colin Shea made a dazzling run into the right side of the box, pushing a pass to the feet of junior Hogan Kern who eventually put the shot away with his right foot.

The Golden Tornadoes struck twice more in the final twelve minutes of the match, with freshman Luke Main scoring from 10 yards out and freshman Paul Permyashkin curling a beautiful shot into the bottom left corner of the net from just outside of the box right before time expired.

Along with all of the goal scorers, Dunda and Shea each recorded two assists for Geneva, with Rogers, Singh, Adam Thompson and junior Jeremy Thompson getting credited with one assist apiece as well. Senior Evan Shale got the start at goalkeeper and made the only save of the match for the Golden Tornadoes.

The men are on the road next week, heading to Baldwin Wallace on Wednesday for a 7:00 pm kickoff before making the trip up to RIT on Saturday.

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).