BEAVER FALLS, Pa. – In what is undoubtedly one of the latest game-winning goals in the 55-year history of the Geneva men's soccer program, sophomore Luke Kost found the back of the net with three seconds remaining on Wednesday night to give the Golden Tornadoes a dramatic victory over Franciscan on Reeves Field. Geneva improves to 8-2-3 overall, 6-1-2 in the Presidents' Athletic Conference.
Geneva came into the match unbeaten in its last eight matches, including back-to-back shutouts last week of Thiel and Bethany. Franciscan presented a formidable opponent, though, with the Barons entering in fourth place in the PAC standings and just one loss in conference play. The Golden Tornadoes came into the match in second place in a tightly packed top of the conference standings, needing a win to keep its chances alive of capturing the top seed for the upcoming PAC playoffs.
The match was as expected. The defenses dominated much of the match, with neither team able to generate many good scoring chances in the first half, and the game went into the break scoreless. Geneva held a 6-4 edge in shots.
Franciscan opened the second half with the better of the play, maintaining more of the possession for the first 15 minutes while forcing the Golden Tornado defense to absorb quite a bit of pressure. Geneva never allowed the Barons to break free for a chance in the middle of the defense, though.
The match started to get a little stretched at times as the half moved along and both teams started to wear down. Freshman goalkeeper Eli Stasiowski was called on late to make a couple big saves, including with eight minutes remaining when Franciscan's Noah Haggerty got behind the Geneva defense, but Stasiowski spread wide and smothered the low 1-v-1 shot to keep the Barons off the board.
Three minutes later, sophomore Msafiri Amisi got behind the Franciscan defense and dribbled in on goal, but his shot was also saved by the Baron keeper.
The match appeared headed for a scoreless draw before Geneva generated some late magic. Freshman Finnley McCarty raced back to midfield to corral an errant pass with 15 seconds remaining. He turned and fed sophomore Travis Miller 35 yards away from the net with ten seconds left. Miller sent a ball across the field and into the run of Amisi on the far side of the Franciscan box. Amisi chested the ball down and immediately fed the ball across box and into the run of Kost who scored from five yards away to set off a wild celebration at the corner flag, with just three seconds remaining on the scoreboard.
Geneva finished the match with a 17-9 edge in shots, including an 11-3 advantage in shots on goal. The Golden Tornadoes also held a slim lead in corner kicks, 7-6. Stasiowski made three saves to earn his sixth shutout of the season.
The men will now turn their attention to Chatham for their final home regular season match of the season on Saturday, with the kickoff slated for 7:00 p.m. on Reeves Field. The program will honor its three seniors, Aiden Barlow, Colin Shea and Collin Yeatts prior to the match.
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).
