Geneva College Athletics

BEAVER FALLS, Pa. – The Geneva College men's soccer team put together one of its best performances of the season on Wednesday night on Reeves Field, shutting out a Hiram squad that had not lost in its six prior matches this season, 3-0.  In fact, the Golden Tornadoes equaled the total number of goals Hiram had given up all season in the impressive victory, Geneva's second straight 3-0 Presidents' Athletic Conference (PAC) win.  The men improved to 3-2-1 overall this season, 2-1 in the PAC.

The men almost got off to a dream start.  Just 10 seconds into the match, sophomore Msafiri Amisi got loose down the edge of the Hiram box and sent a laser of a shot off the far post.  The rebound ended up eventually finding its way to sophomore Luke Kost, whose shot was pushed onto the near post by the Hiram keeper and out of bounds.  Amisi and Kost would prove to be a problem for the Terriers to deal with all night, though.

Geneva kept up the strong play throughout the half, putting constant pressure on a Hiram defense that had been one of the strongest in the conference with just three goals allowed all year.  The men broke through in the 28^th minute with a lovely combination play.  Amisi found Kost at the top of the box who immediately played a ball into the path of freshman Finnley McCarty's run, and McCarty put his shot into the top of the net from five yards away in one of the best sequences of the season.  The Golden Tornadoes carried that lead into the halftime break, outshooting the Terriers 8-3 in the half.

The men continued their pressure to start the second half, searching for a second goal and controlling much of the play while the defense neutralized any Hiram attack.  Geneva got that second goal late, along with a third, with Amisi again at the center of the attack.

In the 81^st minute, with the game opening up, Amisi made another run down the left side and unleashed a shot headed inside the far post that Hiram's keeper just got a hand on with a diving save.  However, the rebound went right to sophomore Travis Miller, and he tapped the ball into the open net to give Geneva some cushion.

The Golden Tornadoes added their third goal five minutes later to completely put the game away.  Amisi picked up his third assist of the match when he put Kost through in the 86^th minute, and Kost dribbled down the middle of the field all alone and slotted a ball past the keeper to seal the victory.

Amisi's three-assist night was only the second time a Golden Tornado had accomplished that feat in Coach Gary Dunda's 17-year tenure, the other occurring in the spring 2021 COVID season when Zach O'Connor matched that total in a 3-0 victory over Franciscan.  Kost finished with a goal and an assist, while McCartey's first collegiate goal proved to be the game winner.

Geneva finished the match with a 16-7 advantage in shots, 8-1 in shots on goal.  It's the first time all year Hiram had been outshot in a match.  Freshman keeper Eli Stasiowski earned his third shutout of the season, needing to make just one save with the strong defensive work of Geneva's central defenders, sophomore Nick Lo Coco and freshman Landon Bronson.

The men have this weekend off before hosting Westminster next Wednesday in an important PAC matchup.  The start time for that contest on Reeves Field is 7:00 p.m.