BEAVER FALLS, Pa. – The Geneva College women's soccer team was chosen ninth in the Presidents' Athletic Conference (PAC) preseason poll released on Friday, as voted on by the coaches.  Grove City, last year's PAC Champion, was selected as the favorite.

The women are coming on an improved season in 2025 in which the Golden Tornadoes were one of the top defensive teams in the conference, finishing with a 5-4-2 record in the conference, 6-7-5 overall.  Geneva just missed out on qualifying for the PAC playoffs, finishing in seventh place just one point behind the final two teams that made the playoffs.

Geneva returns most of its team from last year's roster, including what should again be one of the top defensive teams in the PAC, led by senior Noelle Beare and sophomores Natalie Foster and Cassidy Stopchick.  Beare and Stopchick started every game along Geneva's defensive backline, with the pair playing the most minutes of anyone on the roster, while Foster was the starting goalkeeper in all 17 games she played in.  All three women received All-PAC recognition last year and all three were named PAC Players to Watch for this upcoming season.

Two of Geneva's top returning offensive players in seniors Renae Singh and Abby Stover were also named PAC Players to Watch.  Singh, who played in just eight game last year after returning from an injury, led the team with four goals despite playing less than half the games.  Stover had a goal and an assist after starting 14 games while missing three games due to injury.

In addition to those five, senior Madalyn Fales, junior Rebekah Dick and sophomores Ruth Bartley and Sarah Wells are back after starting the majority of Geneva's games last year, while junior Gracie VanHorn and sophomores Bethany O'Brien, Philomena Hanna, Kayla Penn and Bella Carlini return after seeing regular time off the bench last year.  Senior Elliana Zwatty is also on the roster after starting 13 games last year but is unavailable to start the year while returning from injury.

Coach Micah Fitz, who is entering his third season at the helm of the program, has brought in seven freshmen, with some of them likely to see early playing time for the Golden Tornadoes.

The women will be the first team this fall to play at home when they host Muskingum on Tuesday, September 1, at 7:00 p.m. on Reeves Field.  Geneva is slated to open PAC play on September 16 at Allegheny.