LATROBE, PA – Visiting Geneva College used an impressive rushing attack and a stout defense to spoil Saint Vincent's home opener, defeating Saint Vincent 42-24 on a steamy afternoon at Chuck Noll Field.
 
The Golden Tornadoes (1-2, 1-1 PAC), who ran for 342 yards and four touchdowns, jumped out to a 21-0 lead midway through the second quarter and never looked back, handing the Bearcats' (1-1, 0-1 PAC) their first loss of the season.
 
Receiving the opening kickoff, Geneva went to work on the ground right away, using 13 straight runs to cover 81 yards in 6:28 to take a 7-0 lead on a 1-yard plunge by quarterback Amos Luptak.
 
The Bearcats looked to answer with their own strong opening drive, with running back Julian Howard and quarterback Brady Walker each running for first downs, but they would stall out near midfield and were forced to punt.
 
Taking over at its own 45-yardline, Geneva would eventually advance to the SVC 13, but Jack Poling and Cam Norris teamed up to bring Luptak down in the backfield on third down, sending out the Geneva field goal unit. The kick would go wide right, and the Geneva lead remained 7-0 to end the first quarter.
 
After a scoreless SVC possession to open up the second quarter, Geneva took a 14-0 lead on a 31-yard touchdown run by Jaeden Zuzak with 8:22 left. The lead would then swell to 21-0 when the Golden Tornadoes' Damian Lomeli stepped in front of a pass and returned the interception for a 22-yard touchdown with 7:50 remaining in the half.
 
The Bearcat offense then regrouped. Walker completed a 17-yard pass to Phil Harding and a 26-yarder to Jeremy Wodarek to advance inside the Geneva 30, before Walker scampered 12 yards to set up first goal at the GT's 15. After a holding penalty backed the ball up to the 25-yardline, Walker connected with Irefin for the touchdown, and Adam Koscielicki's extra point attempt was good to make the score 21-7 with 3:11 left in the half.
 
The Bearcat defense then forced a quick three-and-out, giving SVC the ball back at its own 30. Walker opened the drive by finding Harding for 10 yards, before Kaelib McElroy made a 39-yard reception to give SVC a first down on the Geneva 36. After a long Walker scamper set up first and goal at the 8, a pair of incomplete passes brought up third down with three seconds left. Koscielicki would then come on to hit a 25-yard field goal as time expired to cut the Geneva lead to 21-10 at the half.
 
Receiving the kick to open the second half, the Bearcats were unable to hold onto the momentum, and after a three-and-out, Geneva extended its lead to 28-10 on an 18-yard touchdown pass from Luptak to Blake Peet with 11:17 left in the quarter.
 
The visitors would then add on to the lead with a 51-yard touchdown run from Zuzak to go up 35-10 with 4:36 left.
 
Walker opened the Bearcats' second possession of the fourth quarter with a 35-yard completion to tight end Kyle Silk. After an 18-yard run by Billy Beck, Walker hooked up with Keith Kalp for a 22-yard touchdown to pull the Bearcats to within 35-17 with 10:38 left in regulation.
 
Geneva quickly answered, however, covering 49 yards in just four runs, capped off with a 6-yard touchdown run by Drew Cramer to go up 42-17 with 8:48 left.
 
Taking over at their own 30, the Bearcats would go to the air to cut into the deficit. Walker completed passes of 17 yards to McElroy, five yards to Kalp and 13 yards to Irefin to advance past midfield. Facing a third-and-eight, Walker again connected with Irefin, and the speedy sophomore burst into the end zone from 35 yards out to make it 42-24 with 5:11 left.
 
The Bearcats would get no closer, however, as Geneva went back to the ground run out the game's final five minutes and preserve the win.
 
Walker ended the day 16-for-32 through the air for 257 yards, with two touchdowns and one interception. Irefin made three catches for 73 yards, McElroy three for 61 and Harding four for 39. Walker also led the Bearcat ground game, gaining 28 yards on 12 attempts, while Antonio Zambrano ran for 23 yards.
 
Defensively, Kyle Coombe, Derius May, Norris and Poling each finished with seven tackles, with Norris recording 2.0 tackles for loss and Poling 1.5. Ryan Brown added four tackles and 2.0 TFLs.
 
Zuzek paced the Golden Tornadoes' option rushing attack, gaining 134 yards on nine tries, while Luptak ran 15 times for 73 yards and completed three passes for 44 yards. Dakota Allen and Kaden Romero paced the Geneva defense, each finishing with seven tackles and one sack, while Lomeli added six tackles and one TFL to his 22-yard interception return.
 
Geneva finished the day with 386 yards of total offense, while the Bearcats finished with 363. The Golden Tornadoes also held a slim advantage in first downs, converting 20 to the Bearcats' 19, but went a perfect 4-for-4 on fourth down conversions.
 
The Bearcats will now look to get back into the win column when they return to action next Saturday, Sept. 25, traveling to Thiel College for a 7 p.m. PAC battle.