BEAVER FALLS, Pa. – The Geneva women's soccer team started their season off on the right foot Tuesday night, defeating Muskingum University on Reeves Field 3-2. In what proved to be a higher-scoring affair than many of last year's matches, Geneva controlled the majority of the play before a late Muskie goal made things close right at the end. It was a well-earned victory for the Golden Tornadoes, who outshot Muskingum 24-6, and they improve to 1-0 on the young season following the win.
Things went the GTs' way early on in the match, with the women gaining a 1-0 advantage in the 9
th minute on a botched play by the Muskingum defense that resulted in an own goal. They maintained their edge for the next 15 minutes, creating some good looks in attack, but it was the Muskies that scored to even things up in the 28
th minute.
It appeared as though the two sides would go into the halftime break tied, but the Golden Tornadoes had other plans. A long run by sophomore
Ruth Bartley down the right wing led to a well-timed slicing pass to the feet of freshman
Hannah Hido, who was running into the box from the left side. Hido took a touch and coolly slotted the ball past the Muskie keeper, giving the GTs' a 2-1 lead in the 42
nd minute that they would not relinquish.
Geneva dominated the majority of the second half, creating multiple chances that Muskingum goalkeeper Gracyn Armstrong did well to stop. Finally, senior
Renae Singh had a shot deflected back to fellow senior
Noelle Beare, who returned the ball to Singh to punch it into the right side netting with 13 minutes to play. That goal proved to be an important safety cushion for the Golden Tornadoes, as Muskingum netted one late, but the women held on to seal off the 3-2 victory.
The GTs outshot the Muskies 24-6 in the win, including a 13-4 advantage in shots on goal. They took eight corner kicks to the opposition's four, reflecting the difference in scoring opportunities between the two sides.
The women head to New York for a couple of matches this weekend, taking on Elmira on Friday, September 4, before playing Houghton the very next day. Friday's match is set to kickoff at 3:00 p.m.
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).
