Beaver Falls, PA - It was those guys again that did in the Geneva College men′s soccer team. For the fourth consecutive year, the Golden Tornadoes saw their season come to an end at the hands or in this case the feet of Roberts Wesleyan College. Hosting the NCCAA Eastern Regional semi-finals, Geneva fell to Roberts Wesleyan by the score of 2-1. The loss was the first for the Golden Tornadoes at home all season as they fell to 14-3-2 on the year and the Raiders improved to 9-9-3. With the victory, Roberts Wesleyan will advance to the regional finals on Saturday afternoon.
Geneva seemed to have the better of the play for most of the first half and its hard work paid off with just over two minutes remaining before halftime. Chris Morschl′s attack on the goal resulted in a hand ball in the penalty area and Geneva was awarded a penalty kick. Jake McCracken took advantage of the opportunity and put the Golden Tornadoes ahead 1-0 heading into the half.
The Raiders began to take control of the possession in the second half and in the 63rd minute, Donavan Wilson′s free kick from 20 yards out deflected off of a Geneva defender and into the net for the game tying goal. Just nine minutes later, the Raiders took the lead on a tally from Derreck Holmes.
Geneva didn′t get many offensive chances in the second half until the final moments. With the ball bouncing around the penalty area, David Gerlach struck a shot towards the low corner and Roberts′ goalkeeper Eric Read turned the shot away with less than ten seconds remaining in regulation.
Geneva ended the game out shooting Roberts Wesleyan by a margin of 11-10 with six of those shots going on goal. The Raiders managed just two shots on goal with both of them finding their way into the back of the net.
"Certainly a disappointing ending to a very successful season," said head coach Gary Dunda. "We have to find a way to get this done when you have the lead on your home field. We played well at home all season and its tough having to watch it end this way. Take nothing away from our guys. They played hard all night and all season and I couldn′t be prouder to be the coach of Geneva College. It was an exciting first season for me personally and I am looking forward to this program building off of this year′s success."
Geneva College is a comprehensive Christian college of the arts, sciences and professional studies. Founded in the tradition of the Reformed Christian faith, Geneva prepares students to serve Christ in all areas of society: work, family and the church. Geneva College′s philosophy of education is based on the Foundational Concepts of Christian Higher Education. Geneva is a founding member of the Council for Christian Colleges & Universities (CCCU).
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