The menâ??s and womenâ??s basketball seasons are a grind. The season covers four grueling months of travel, practices and of course highly competitive games at least twice a week. The Geneva menâ??s and womenâ??s team have gotten off to rough starts on the scoreboard but the good news is that each team is working to improve on a daily basis as the Presidentsâ?? Athletic Conference schedule is upon us. Both teams will open PAC play on Wednesday night against Thomas More in the first official conference games as a full member of NCAA Division III and the Presidentsâ?? Athletic Conference. While the PAC basketball is set the begin, the Geneva College menâ??s soccer team is set for its final act of 2011 at the NCCAA national tournament.

In menâ??s basketball, junior Matt Lorello was close to unstoppable last Tuesday night at Penn State Beaver. Despite an 89-83 loss to the Lions, the Golden Tornadoes featured Lorelloâ??s career best 37 points on 15-19 shooting from the field. Geneva watched its second half lead disappear as it dropped only the third game ever to Penn State Beaver. On Saturday afternoon, Lorello scored 19 points, Dave Phillips 20 and freshman Zac Rorick chipped in with 22 points off the bench but it was still not enough to slow down LaRoche in an 84-69 loss. After opening the season with a victory over Penn State Greater Allegheny, Geneva has dropped four straight and will welcome Thomas More to Metheny Fieldhouse on Wednesday night. The Golden Tornadoes have been seriously hit by the injury bug and will slowly be getting some key components back into the rotation in the coming days and weeks.

Genevaâ??s women dropped a 57-54 decision to Penn State Beaver last Tuesday after falling behind the Lions 12-0 to start the game. The Golden Tornadoes battled all the way back and led by ten points with less than nine minutes remaining in the game. Geneva could not hold the lead despite a game high 14 points from Rachel Rouan and ten each from Kristland McCracken, Beth DeLuca and Chelsea Kauffman. The Golden Tornadoes watched Carlow pull away from them in the second half on Saturday in a 54-40 loss to the Celtics. Chelsea Dâ??Urso served as one of Genevaâ??s bright spots scoring 12 of her 16 points in the second half to lead the offensive attack. Geneva gets set to open conference play against 17th ranked and defending PAC champion Thomas More on Wednesday. The Golden Tornadoes take their 1-3 overall record into action.

The grand finale of the fall athletic season comes this week with the menâ??s soccer team heading for Kissimmee, FL to compete in the NCCAA national tournament. After sneaking past Malone on penalty kicks in the regional championship, the Golden Tornadoes find themselves as the number seven seed in the eight team national tournament field. Geneva opens tournament play on Wednesday at noon against second seeded Palm Beach Atlantic. Geneva takes its 14-5-3 overall record into the a national tournament appearance for the first time since the late 1990â??s.

Following is the complete athletic schedule for the upcoming week:

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