Nov. 5, 2002

William & Mary scored the go-ahead goal in the 54th minute and held off a George Mason push in the second half to defeat the Patriots, 2-1, in a Colonial Athletic Association men's soccer game Tuesday night at Busch Field in Williamsburg, VA.

William & Mary improved to 10-6-1 overall, 6-1-1 in the CAA, as it clinched one of the top three spots in the final conference standings. George Mason fell to 8-6-3 overall, 3-3-1 in the CAA, as it remained in a tie for fifth place in the CAA standings with Drexel.

George Mason scored first as freshman Damian O'Rourke headed in a corner kick by junior Mirza Kurspahic at 22:01 for his third goal of the season. But William & Mary tied the score at 34:20 as senior Ralph Bean scored his ninth goal of the year at 34:20 off assists from freshman Clayton Voss and senior Carlos Garcia. The Tribe got what turned out to be the game-winning goal at 53:08 as freshman Andreas Nydal netted his fifth goal of the season off assists by Bean and junior Alex Brown.

Despite a 10-7 advantage in shots in the second half (14-12 for the game), the Patriots couldn't find the back of the net in the final 45 minutes as Tribe senior goalkeeper Trevor Upton repeatedly thwarted Mason attacks. Upton finished the game with six saves, while Patriot sophomore John O'Hara had three.

George Mason plays its final games of the regular season on the road this weekend as it visits Drexel Friday at 2:30 p.m. and travels to Hofstra Sunday at 2 p.m.