GREENVILLE, Pa. – The Geneva College women's lacrosse team won their first Presidents' Athletic Conference (PAC) contest in program history Saturday afternoon, defeating Thiel College 8-6 on the road. The women gained a slight edge early on in the match and never fell behind the rest of the way, earning a milestone victory in the program's second season of competition.

Things looked good right from the get-go for the Golden Tornadoes, as sophomore Madi DeRuiter won the opening draw control and the GTs were able to possess the ball well in Tomcat territory. Junior Julianna Easley put Geneva on the board with a goal just two minutes in, and then senior Hannah Skwarek followed that up with a goal of her own in the next minute. The women held the lead through most of the first quarter until Thiel evened up the score with two goals in the final five minutes of the period, and the two sides were knotted at 2-2 at the first quarter break.

Easley netted another goal five minutes into the second quarter on an assist from sophomore Alyse Smith, but that proved to be the only goal scored in the period in what turned out to be a defensive 15 minutes of play. The Tomcats tied the score again early in the third quarter, but the GTs responded with two goals of their own later in the period, scored by sophomore Annika Kamerman and DeRuiter.

The two teams went back-and-forth to start the fourth, with Geneva maintaining a slim advantage, until finally Smith and Easley scored back-to-back goals with four minutes to play, giving the women an 8-5 lead. Thiel scored once more before the match ended, but the GTs managed the game nicely down the stretch to take the 8-6 victory.

Easley scored three goals total, shooting nine times and putting six on target, to lead the women offensively. Skwarek had one of the best games of her career, causing six turnovers, picking up four ground balls, and scoring a goal while not turning the ball over once. DeRuiter also filled up the stat sheet with five ground balls, four caused turnovers, and a goal. Freshman Anarosa Cunningham got the start in goal, earning her first career win while making nine saves.

The GTs have two matches remaining, both at home. They host Allegheny this Wednesday, April 22, in a 4:00 p.m. matchup, before taking on Hiram the following Saturday on Senior 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).