Nov. 10, 2003
FAIRFAX, VA ... When the third-seeded George Mason men's soccer team takes the field at George Mason Stadium Tuesday night at 7 p.m. against No. 6 UNC Wilmington in the quarterfinal round of the Colonial Athletic Association Championship, the Patriots will be looking to prove they have returned to the form that earned them conference, regional and national respect in the 1980s and early '90s.
George Mason (10-5-5, 4-2-3 in the CAA) enters the CAA Championship with its highest regular-season finish since it was seeded second in 1997. A victory over UNC Wilmington (10-7-2, 4-4-1 CAA) Tuesday would move the Patriots into the semifinal round Friday at 5:30 p.m. against second-seeded Old Dominion (14-2-1, 6-2-1). The other quarterfinal match-up has No. 5 William & Mary (9-5-4, 4-3-2) visiting fourth-seeded James Madison (10-6-2, 4-3-2) Tuesday at 7 p.m., with the winner advancing to face top-seeded and CAA Championship host Virginia Commonwealth (14-4, 8-1) in the semifinals Friday at 8 p.m. at Sports Backers Stadium in Richmond. The championship game is set for Sunday at 1 p.m.
The Patriots are 8-10-2 all-time in the CAA Championship, but Mason has gone 0-4-1 since its last victory over Old Dominion in the tournament quarterfinals in 1997. Included in that stretch was a 3-2 loss to UNC Wilmington in overtime in 1999, the only previous meeting between the teams in the conference postseason.
From 1982-90, George Mason won four CAA titles and made seven appearances in the NCAA Tournament, advancing to the "Elite 8" in their first trip in 1982. Mason's last appearance in the national postseason came in 1996, and third-year head coach Fran O'Leary has his sights set on putting the Patriots in the national limelight once again. George Mason has posted its first 10-win season since the 1998 squad was 13-7, and this season has marked the most victories for the Patriots under O'Leary and their highest finish in the CAA standings.
"I'm very proud of this team," said O'Leary, who has a 26-21-10 record with the Patriots. "The lads are aware George Mason has not won a CAA playoff game in a number of years and we look to get this monkey off our back Tuesday."
The success this season has not come easy. George Mason played one of the toughest schedules in the country with nine opponents that advanced to last year's NCAA College Cup, and the Patriots posted a 3-4-2 record against those teams. They also finished strong by going 6-2-4 over their last 12 games, including a 0-0 tie with then-No. 5 North Carolina and a 1-0 victory over then-No. 2 Old Dominion, and they did not allow a goal in their last seven home games.
Mason also has done well playing without several of their key players during the season. Junior midfielder David Quinn, expected to be a key contributor after finishing strong in 2002, went down with a season-ending knee injury in the first game of the season, and sophomore midfielder/defender Damian O'Rourke has missed three games with a leg injury. Add the fact that sophomore Steve Alabi, the Patriots' top scorer with 10 goals, four assists and 24 points, missed four of the last five games with a leg injury and Mason's strong finish is more remarkable.
The strength of the 2003 Patriots has been its defense, led by seniors Keith Nakai and Mirza Kurspahic, junior Danny Climo and sophomores Anthony Noreiga and O'Rourke. The group has helped George Mason post 10 shutouts and be ranked in the top 20 in the nation for shutout percentage, and over the last 12 games, the Patriots have recorded seven shutouts while allowing just seven goals in 1,180 minutes for a 0.53 goals-against average. The group also has contributed to the offense with 11 assists, including Climo tying Alabi for the team lead at four assists and Nakai ranking third with three.
Junior goalkeeper John O'Hara also has had an outstanding season. O'Hara has posted nine full shutouts and shared another while posting a 0.94 GAA and 60 saves. Against CAA foes, he has a 0.71 GAA and 28 saves.
While Alabi has led the offense, he has had solid support from juniors Karim Manneh and Matt Mendy, both of whom transferred from Alabama A&M prior to this season. Manneh ranks among the CAA leaders with eight goals and 18 points, adding two assists, while Mendy is third on the Patriots with three goals and eight points as he also adds two assists.
