NEW CONCORD, Ohio – The Geneva College men's soccer team picked up a hard-fought 1-0 win at Muskingum on Saturday afternoon, surviving a long lightning delay in the first half to emerge victorious and enter Presidents' Athletic Conference (PAC) play with some momentum.  It was the first clean sheet of the year for the Golden Tornadoes.

It has been a challenging first few weeks of the season for the Golden Tornadoes, who have had a chance to win their first five games of the season against strong competition, but a bad bounce or a mistake proved costly in each of the five contests.  Saturday was a different story as the men controlled much of the game from the beginning.

The men got on the board fifteen minutes into the game, with senior Jeremy Thompson stealing the ball 40 yards from goal and sending it over the top to freshman Msafiri Amisi.  Amisi made a cut and passed a ball through the box that senior George Cottenden got to, poking a shot just inside the near post to give Geneva the early lead.

Freshman Noah Buchanan received his first collegiate start in goal, and he came up big in the final seconds of the first half.  As the seconds were counting down, Muskingum sent a long ball across to the back post where a Muskie striker was left unmarked.  Buchanan made a great quick-reflex save from close distance on the shot with two seconds left, keeping Geneva in the lead heading into the halftime break.

The second half followed a similar pattern, with the Golden Tornadoes generating a few good chances that just went wide.  The Geneva defense kept a clean box in front of Buchanan, and Muskingum struggled to generate any good chances.  Buchanan was able to comfortably handle any long-range shots from the Muskies, and the Golden Tornadoes closed out the 1-0 victory.

Geneva finished the game with an 18-11 advantage in shots, led by Cottenden's six shots.  Buchanan made seven saves to pick up the first shutout of his career, in his first start.

The men will now turn their attention towards PAC play, with Washington & Jefferson coming to Reeves Field on Wednesday, September 24^th. That match is scheduled to begin at 7:00 p.m.

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).