ELMIRA, N.Y. – After a tough opening half for the Geneva College women's soccer team on Friday afternoon at Elmira that saw the women trailing by a goal, the Golden Tornadoes regrouped and fought back to earn a 2-1 victory and stay unbeaten on the year, 2-0. The win made the five-hour bus ride on Friday morning to get the match worth the trip.
The first 25 minutes of the match were fairly even between the two squads. Neither team could generate many good chances, though Elmira took several long-range shots that sophomore goalkeeper Natalie Foster easily handled.
As the half wore along, though, Elmira began to gain the better of the play, and the last 15 minutes of the half were played on Geneva's end, with the Golden Tornadoes unable to keep much possession. The Eagles put constant pressure on Geneva's backline in the closing minutes, keeping Foster very busy, and Elmira broke through with under a minute to play on a goal off a corner kick to give the Eagles a 1-0 halftime lead. Elmira held a 14-2 edge in shots at the break.
Whatever Coach Micah Fitz said at halftime worked, as the game completely flipped in the second half. It took the women just 69 seconds to pull even when senior Renae Singh sent a cross into the box that senior Madalyn Fales struck beautifully out of the air from the top of the box, floating the ball just over the keeper's hands and into the net. It was a rewarding goal from Fales, who was playing fairly close to her hometown of Endwell, New York.
Just seven minutes later, Geneva struck again. Singh laid a ball off to sophomore Ruth Bartley at the top of the box, and Bartley took a touch before sending an unsavable rocket of a left-footed shot into the upper corner of the net. The goal was Bartley's first collegiate goal, making it a memorable one for multiple reasons.
Foster and the Golden Tornado defense took things from there, shutting down the Elmira offense that had been so active in the first half in closing out the impressive comeback victory, 2-1. Geneva outshot Elmira 6-2 in the second half.
For the game, Elmira held a 16-8 edge in shots, including a 9-4 advantage in shots on goal. Bartley led the team with three shots, two on goal, while Foster was her always strong self in goal, racking up eight saves. Singh added assists on both goals.
The women have a short turnaround for their Saturday match at Houghton, which is a couple hours away from Elmira. Geneva will be trying to start its season with three straight victories for the first time since 2015, when the women opened the year with four straight wins. That contest is scheduled to start at 3:30 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).
