BEAVER FALLS, Pa. – It was a fun afternoon for the Geneva women's soccer team, with the Golden Tornadoes scoring five times en route to a 5-0 victory over visiting Bethany College. For a team that has struggled to score goals at various points during the season, the seven goals combined between their last two matches have been a welcome development. They have now won back-to-back Presidents' Athletic Conference (PAC) matchups and are 5-6-4 overall, 2-3-3 in PAC play. Bethany remains winless on the season at 0-14-2, 0-9 in the PAC.
The GTs had several chances to score in the opening minutes of play, with senior
Abby Stover coming free on through balls down the left wing multiple times but never able to notch a goal. Freshman
Olivia Deluca redirected a rebounded shot toward an open net in the 17
th minute, but her attempt hit the post and the match remained scoreless.
Freshman
Hannah Hido finally broke through for the Golden Tornadoes when she received a pretty through ball from junior
Rebekah Dick in the 25
th minute. Hido coolly slotted the ball past the keeper to put the women in front 1-0. She then assisted on Geneva's second goal ten minutes later, making a quick move to the end line before passing the ball back into the center of the box where freshman
Mackenzie Kubistek was waiting to put the shot away. The GTs led 2-0 heading into the halftime break.
That momentum continued into the second half, with Stover coming free on a long run down the left wing and crossing a ball back into the middle. Senior
Madalyn Fales was wide open in the middle of the box, punching the ball home to put Geneva ahead 3-0 in the 51
st minute. Freshman
Brianne Casto rounded out the scoring for the GTs, scoring a tap-in on the line in the 65
th minute off a Hido shot that had been deflected before notching one more goal in the 76
th minute to give Geneva a 5-0 lead.
The Golden Tornadoes finished with 29 total shots in the match while allowing just ten to the Bison. They also hit the target 17 times compared to Bethany's four. Hido finished the match with a goal and two assists on five shots, while Stover also took five shots and was credited with an assist. Casto registered a team-high seven shots, including four on target, while scoring two goals.
Geneva's defense was tremendous throughout the match as well, with sophomore goalkeeper
Natalie Foster making four saves to notch her sixth shutout of the season. Dick, as well as sophomores
Cassidy Stopchick,
Sarah Wells, and
Bethany O'Brien, all played critical roles defensively.
The women will now turn their attention to next Tuesday, October 20, when they take on Franciscan at 7:00 p.m. They still have a mathematical chance at a PAC playoff spot, but Tuesday's match is essentially a must-win.
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).
