Aug. 15, 2003

FAIRFAX, VA ... The George Mason men's soccer team has been selected to finish fourth in the Colonial Athletic Association for the upcoming 2003 season. A preseason poll was conducted through voting by the CAA's 10 head coaches, who were not allowed to rank their own teams.

Defending CAA champion Virginia Commonwealth was a unanimous choice to repeat this season. William & Mary and Old Dominion, which both joined the Rams in advancing to the 2002 NCAA Men's College Cup, tied for second in the poll. Following George Mason were (in order) Drexel, Towson, James Madison, Hofstra, UNC Wilmington and Delaware.

The George Mason men return nine letterwinners from a team that finished 8-7-4 overall and 3-4-2 in the CAA last season. Junior goalkeeper John O'Hara, a first-team All-CAA and a second-team All-South Atlantic Region selection last season, leads the returning players and is joined as a 2003 captain by seniors defender Keith Nakai and midfielder/defender Mirza Kurspahic. Other key returnees include sophomores defender Damian O'Rourke and forward Steve Alabi, both of whom were All-CAA second-team picks. O'Rourke also shared the CAA Rookie of the Year award.

Thirteen newcomers join the Patriots this season as they face a difficult schedule that includes nine teams that participated in the 2002 NCAA Men's College Cup tournament. Six of those teams will visit George Mason Stadium as part of the Patriots' 11-game home slate.