Pillars for Life: The Culture of Men’s Soccer at Geneva

Four Pillars: Passion. Character. Discipline. Brotherhood. These four words have deeply shaped individual teams and a whole generation of Golden Tornadoes on and off the soccer field for nearly twenty years.

One alumnus of the program found encouragement in the passion and brotherhood of the team in his own time playing men’s soccer at Geneva, particularly how he and his teammates were “called up to” discipline and character throughout their soccer careers. Head Coach Gary Dunda shares, "[Our cultural pillars] are important on the field, and important pillars for all of life. That's how you sustain success with good people, not just good soccer players." Darren Main '24, MBA '25, a current player, agrees, noting that these pillars of success are "more important off the field."

In fact, it is often this high level of community that initially draws players to enroll at Geneva. Main reflects that when he first visited Geneva, he “just really felt the tight-knit community here ... I liked the culture, what they stood for.” Wil Dunda '26, another current player, has a unique perspective as the son of Coach Gary Dunda. “I’ve been around the program for sixteen years now. All my role models growing up were part of this team ... whether I knew it or not, I was coming here. It’s hard to say no when you’re given the chance to be part of this team and be part of the brotherhood.”

Not only does the culture attract the players, but it also attracted their coach. Gary Dunda had been coaching at a collegiate level for over a decade when he took a self-proclaimed “leap of faith” in 2010 to join Geneva in a head coach role. He was excited for the opportunity to return to a Christian environment and to “continue the vision” of the strong team community and principles set by previous coaches, including David Murray.

The soccer players who are led to Geneva champion these pillars, and they also excel at the sport. Both the coach and players have a passion for the challenge of competition. “Winning is difficult, but that’s what makes it so much fun,” states Coach Dunda. “Everybody comes to Reeves Field to see us play at a high level and win. They do not see the players tirelessly working to improve themselves during the cold winter months in the weightroom and on treadmill and pushing themselves through the hot summer months executing each workout in the summer conditioning manual. It’s not for the faint of heart.”

The team has the discipline to regularly put in the work to be able to play at a high level. In the 2024 season, the team set a school record for longest shutout streak and went to the NCCAA national tournament. They also went to the NCAA championships and won the PAC Championships during the 2023 season. It was there that the team proved themselves the best in the conference for the second time, with the first coming seven years earlier in 2016.

In the 2016 championship year, the team was tested by tragedy. Early in the year, a car accident claimed the life of teammate Nate Ferraco. The loss devastated the campus community and made a significant impact on the men's soccer team. The players could have grown distant or fallen apart, but the bonds of the brotherhood brought resilience to the team amidst their shared grief.

Both that generation of players and the men today still rely on each other in heartbreaks, big and small. Teammates trust one another to sit together in difficult moments, encourage each other in Bible studies, tackle the hard questions of life, pursue the truth of God's word together, and grow in character together.

The current players observe this continuing brotherhood firsthand. Main reflects that when the alumni see one another, “it’s like they haven’t left ... they’re acting like they see each other every day, and just to see that with the alumni is pretty special because it shows that the relationships they created here didn’t end here.” Wil Dunda hopes the same for this current generation of players: “We only play soccer here for four years, but hopefully we’ll be brothers for fifty-plus.”

alumni-game-25 — Alumni game in April 2025

The brotherhood not only lasts for years, it stretches across the generations. Mike Rogers '25 reflects, “There's been a bunch of different guys that have come back to help coach and mentor us. That’s just a level of care for the program even after you’re gone [that is] a big testament to the community and the brotherhood. For them to care for us enough even though they don’t even know us ... to encourage us in whatever way that they can, I think that’s a huge testament to how long the brotherhood lasts.” Coach Dunda has seen the same thing, “You’re tied to the same fabric because you put the same jersey on ... You're not just a part of this team for four years, you're part of a brotherhood for life."

Geneva College’s men’s soccer team continues to see that the game is all about a purpose greater than themselves. Even in the disappointment of missing out on this year’s PAC championship, Main reflects on the beauty and impact of coming together at center field immediately after the game and praying with their competitors. Caleb Musselman '12 also reflects on how the pillars have held true over the decades that he has been involved in the program as player, coach, and alumni. “Passion and brotherhood are the distinctives [of the program]. They’re not manufactured, and they are consistent. That brotherhood is developed, and the passion is lived by.” The team members don’t play for themselves, but for the opportunity to fight for their brothers, as Wil Dunda shares.

Men’s soccer at Geneva continues to look towards the future, remaining rooted in these pillars of passion, character, discipline, and brotherhood as they seek to improve their skills, win, and “show undeniable faith in God while playing and around campus.”

By Amelia Jones, MBA '26

Apr 10, 2025