BEAVER FALLS, Pa. – The Geneva women's soccer team came into Tuesday's home match with Franciscan playing its best soccer of the season, and the Golden Tornadoes built upon that momentum with their best win of the season, shutting out a Baron squad 2-0 that came into the match with an impressive 9-2-2 record. Geneva improved to 6-6-4 on the year, 3-3-3 in the Presidents' Athletic Conference, and the victory keeps its postseason hopes alive.
The women came into the week fresh off posting two shutout wins last week against Thiel and Bethany, but the Barons figured to provide a much stiffer test for a Golden Tornado team that is fighting for its postseason life, potentially needing to win out in order to capture a PAC playoff spot.
Neither team could generate many chances early, and Geneva's defense led by sophomore center backs Cassidy Stopchick and Sarah Wells, along with sophomore goalkeeper Natalie Foster, completely neutralized the Franciscan attack.
The Golden Tornadoes caught a break in the 39th minute when a ball into the Franciscan box bounced up and hit a Baron defender's hand, and senior Noelle Beare stepped to the spot and converted the penalty kick to give Geneva the lead heading into the halftime break. The Golden Tornadoes had a slim 4-3 advantage in shots in the first half.
Franciscan began to push forward as the second half began, trying to find the equalizer. The Golden Tornadoes were content to rely on their defensive strength, conceding some possession while staying compact, and forcing the Barons to attempt long range shots that did not trouble Foster at all. Geneva waited for counterattack opportunities, and they found one in the 64th minute.
The Golden Tornadoes earned free kick 30 yards from goal, and Beare sent a beautiful cross to the back post where freshman Mackenzie Kubistek found herself all alone. She chested the ball down and beat the Franciscan keeper back across the face of the goal and inside the far post to double the Geneva lead.
Franciscan never had a decent chance over the final 25 minutes, with the Geneva defense proving too tough to break through for the Barons, and the Golden Tornadoes saw the game out for the 2-0 shutout victory.
Franciscan outshot Geneva 12-3 in the final half, but none of their attempts proved difficult for Foster to stop. For the game, the Barons had a 15-7 edge in shots, but just 7-5 in shots on goal. Both teams had just one corner kick. Foster made seven saves to earn her seventh shutout of the season. The women have now gone over 340 minutes since last conceding.
Geneva wraps up the home portion of its schedule on Saturday with a 4:00 p.m. contest against Chatham. The women will honor their five seniors in Beare, Madalyn Fales, Renae Singh, Abby Stover and Elliana Zwatty prior to the match, who will be playing their final game on Reeves Field. The Golden Tornadoes then finish their regular season with a road match at Grove City next Tuesday night.
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).
