WINCHESTER, Va. – Geneva was its own worst enemy in its contest at Shenandoah on Saturday night, with several key first-half turnovers causing the Golden Tornadoes to fall into a big hole, which they could not climb out of in falling 48-14. Geneva is now 1-1 on the season.
The miscues started early. On the second play from scrimmage, senior quarterback Caleb Romano's pass was intercepted and returned for a touchdown, mirroring Geneva's start last week against Widener.
The offense responded on the ensuing possession with an impressive drive, though, moving the ball down to the one-yard line. But on first-and-goal from the one, a Geneva fumble turned the ball back over to Shenandoah.
Things started to snowball from there. The offense had success moving the ball, but five of Geneva's first seven possessions ended in a turnover, and Shenandoah took full advantage of Geneva's mistakes in building a big lead. The Golden Tornadoes finally got on the board late in the second quarter on a 15-yard touchdown pass from Romano to junior Will Patterson. By the time the halftime horn sounded, Geneva trailed 41-7 despite outgaining the Hornets by over 50 yards, 287-236.
Both teams scaled things back in the second half with the outcome already decided. Each team scored one more touchdown, Geneva's coming when junior Noah Hutcherson blocked a punt that junior Cody Patterson scooped up and raced 22 yards for a touchdown.
Geneva finished with a 367-360 advantage in total yards, reinforcing the fact that Geneva was its own worst enemy at times in the game with its five turnovers. Romano finished with 303 yards passing and a touchdown, while Will Patterson notched career highs with nine catches for 80 yards and the score. Junior running back Liam Gibson added 64 yards on 11 carries.
Cody Patterson led the defense with eight solo tackles, as well as the return touchdown. Hutcherson, along with juniors AJ Baker and Wyman Shaheen, and sophomore Jayce Mauger, each added six stops.
Geneva is off next weekend before beginning conference play on Saturday, September 26, with a 1:00 p.m. kickoff at Bethany.
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).
