WOMEN'S SOCCER vs. Fordham
Atlantic 10 Women's Soccer Championship Quarterfinal
WHEN: Thursday, Nov. 3, 8:00 p.m.
WHERE: Rhode Island's Soccer Complex in Kingston, R.I.
RECORDS: George Mason (12-6-1, 6-3-1 A-10); Fordham (10-4-5, 5-1-4 A-10)
SERIES RECORD: Mason leads 2-0-3
LAST MEETING: The Patriots and Rams played to a 2-2 double-overtime draw on Oct. 30 at George Mason Stadium in Fairfax, Va.
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FAIRFAX, Va. - The George Mason women's soccer team enters the Atlantic 10 Soccer Championship as the fourth seed and will play No. 5 seed Fordham in the quarterfinal round on Thursday at Rhode Island's Soccer Complex in Kingston, R.I. with kickoff scheduled for 8 p.m.
The Patriots and Rams each finished with 19 points in conference play. Mason won the tiebreaker based on head-to-head results with common conference opponents to earn the higher seed.
Mason (12-6-1, 6-3-1 A-10) will face Fordham for the second time in as many years in the Atlantic 10 Championship. The two teams met on Sunday in the final game of the regular season, playing to a 2-2 double-overtime draw at George Mason Stadium.
The Patriots and Rams are meeting for the sixth time, with Mason leading the all-time series against Fordham 2-0-3.
Last season, the Patriots clinched a berth in the tournament in the final game of the regular season with a 1-1 draw against the Rams at Jack Coffey Field in Bronx, N.Y. Mason entered the Atlantic 10 tournament as the eighth seed and went on to an upset win over top-seeded George Washington 1-0 in the quarterfinal round, with Abby Downey netting the game-winning goal in the 76th minute of play.
"With the way the regular season unfolded for us this time last year, it went down to the last game before we knew we were going to have a chance to compete in the tournament and that adds stress," Mason head coach Todd Bramble said. "The way this team went about the regular season, we qualified for this year's tournament with two games to go. I'm hoping that the players can enjoy the experience a little bit more this time around. We've been here before, so we know what it feels like and I think our preparation has been good."
The Patriots and Rams clashed in the second round of the Atlantic 10 Tournament last season. Sarah Hardison scored on a header in the 38th minute to put Mason in front. Fordham tied the game 1-1 with a goal in the 59th minute and after neither team found the back of the net in overtime, the game was decided in a penalty kick shootout (4-2) with the Rams advancing to the A-10 championship game.
"Fordham is a team that plays good soccer and they work really hard," said Bramble of the rematch against the Rams. "Defensively they are solid and don't concede a lot of goals. It's a great challenge, but their style of play is a good matchup for us and it makes for a good game."
The Patriots finished the 2016 regular season with a record of 5-3 on the road. Mason's five road victories are tied for the third-most in program history and are the most that the Patriots have recorded on the road since joining the Atlantic 10 Conference.
The Patriots finished the regular season with a 7-3-1 record at George Mason Stadium. The seven home victories are the most for Mason since the 2011 season and are tied for the fifth-most in program history.
Mason's 12 victories this season are the most for the program since the Patriot's finished with a 14-4-1 record in 2009. With a conference record of 6-3-0, the Patriots have more wins against Atlantic 10 foes than in any of their first three years in the conference.
Mason is 9-0-1 this season when scoring the first goal of the game.
"That's important for us, but it's not something that we talk about," Bramble said. "Even in those games where we scored first and our opponents have come back to equalize, this has proven to be a resilient group and they've managed those situations well almost every time."
The Patriots have held opponents scoreless in the first 45 minutes in 13 of their 18 games this season. The Patriots are 7-1 in games decided by one goal.
The Patriots have scored 35 goals this season, third-most in the Atlantic 10 behind Saint Joseph's (45) and Richmond (36). Mason has outscored opponents 14-10 in the first half and 19-18 in the second half of play.
Mason is 0-1-1 in its last three games. The Patriots haven't gone winless in three straight matches this season.
The Patriots have had 10 players score at least one goal this season, with seven players scoring at least two goals. Hardison leads the Patriots and ranks eighth in the conference with eight goals. She led the Patriots with 10 goals during the 2015 season.
Five of Hardison's goals have been the first goal of the game for Mason and four have been game-winners. Her four game-winners are tied for second among Atlantic 10 players. Downey has netted two game-winners. Seven players overall have notched a game-winner for Mason during the 2016 campaign.
Junior Erin Mitchell is second on the team and ranks ninth in the conference with seven goals.
Senior Alex Myers is third on the team with five goals and 14 points. Downey has scored four goals and sophomore Nia Elbeck has tallied three goals. Juniors Jenna Hamilton and Nicolette Herdegen, along with sophomore Emily Littell have each scored two goals this season.
Freshman Hugrun Olafsdottir leads the team and is tied for fourth in the Atlantic 10 with six assists. Junior Kaila Williams and Elbeck are tied for second on the team and are tied for the fifth-most in the conference with five assists each.
Set plays could go a long way to determine the outcome of Thursday's match.
"Most championship events at our level often come down to the team that executes better," Bramble said of his team's ability to score off of corner kicks. "We put a lot of time into getting our organization right in those areas. We try to get the right people in defined roles to help us maximize our chances, not just to score goals off of set pieces, but to make sure defensively we're really solid in that area."
On Wednesday, Myers was named All-Conference First-Team midfielder, Hardison All-Conference Second-Team forward, Downey All-Conference Second-Team defender and Olafsdottir named to the Atlantic 10 All-Rookie Team. Littell and Downey were also selected to the A-10 All-Academic Team.
The Patriots are ranked 88th in NCAA Division I Women's Soccer RPI. Half of the Mason's six losses this season have been to teams that currently rank in the top 12 (Oklahoma-9th, Georgetown-10th and Virginia-12th).
"This group of players really cares about each other, even in the hardest times" Bramble said. "This group has made some memories that will last a lifetime in this journey. They appreciate the opportunity and have taken full advantage of that."
SCOUTING THE OPPOSITION
Fordham (10-4-5, 5-1-4 A-10) is appearing in the Atlantic 10 Women's Soccer Championship for the second straight year. After a five-year absence from the tournament, the Rams defeated VCU 1-0 in the quarterfinal round last season.
After getting past the Patriots in the penalty kick shootout in the semifinals, Fordham fell to Duquesne 2-0 in the championship game at Alumni Soccer Stadium in Davidson, N.C. The Dukes scored a pair of late goals in the second half to capture their first Atlantic 10 Championship.
Fordham has won its opening game in each of its last five appearances in the A-10 tournament. The last time that the Rams lost their first game in the Atlantic 10 tournament was a 3-2 setback to Fairleigh Dickenson in 2003.
The Rams suffered a two-game losing streak in mid-September to end non-conference play, but have a record of 5-1-4 in their 10 games, with the lone loss a 1-0 defeat at Saint Louis on Oct. 13.
Defensively, Fordham surrendered only 18 goals this season, the third-fewest in the conference. The Rams have allowed one goal or less in 15 of their 19 games this season. The Patriots were one of only four teams to score at least two goals in a contest against the Rams.
Fordham has outscored opponents 13-9 in the first half and 12-9 in the final 45 minutes of regulation. The Rams had eight of their last 10 games of the regular season decided by one goal or end in a draw.
Senior Brooke Salmon leads the team with five goals and 14 points, while classmate Nicol Natale is second with four goals and 11 points. Senior Nicole Bates, who was named to the 2015 Atlantic 10 All-Championship Team, is tied for third on the Rams with three goals this season.
In goal, senior Megan Fitzgerald (6-2-4, 5-1-3 A-10) has made 36 saves and allowed just 11 goals over 12 appearances. She owns a 0.84 goals against average, fourth-best in the Atlantic 10.
