Sept. 16, 2003

FAIRFAX, VA ... For the second straight week, several individuals and the George Mason men's soccer team as a whole are ranked nationally in the weekly NCAA Division I statistics report. In addition, the three players are ranked among the top individuals in the South Atlantic Region and the Colonial Athletic Association, and both the men's and women's teams are ranked in their respective regions.

Juniors goalkeeper John O'Hara and forward Karim Manneh join sophomore forward Steve Alabi in being ranked nationally and in the region in individual statistics. The Patriot men's soccer team (4-0-1 overall) is ranked in the South Atlantic Region for the second straight week, moving up from 10th to a tie for sixth, while the George Mason women's team (3-1-2) is ranked tied for 10th in the Mid-Atlantic Region, breaking into the rankings for the first time this season.

Alabi, who has six goals and two assists for 14 points already this season, leads the CAA and the South Atlantic Region and is ranked tied for sixth in the nation with 2.80 points per game. A second-team All-CAA pick last year, Alabi also leads the CAA and the region and is ranked tied for fifth in the country with 1.20 goals per game. He has four multi-goal games in his career, including a pair of two-goal efforts this season, and has scored 14 goals in just 17 career contests.

Manneh, who had his second two-goal game of the season Saturday in a 3-2 victory over George Washington, has four goals and one assist for nine points in four games this year. The transfer from Alabama A&M University, where he scored 29 goals in his first two seasons, ranks second in the CAA, third in the South Atlantic Region and tied for 18th in the nation with 2.25 points per game, and he is second in the CAA, third in the region and tied for ninth in the country with 1.00 goals per game.

As a team, the Patriots are ranked tied for 16th in the nation with 2.60 goals per game (13 in five contests), and their .900 winning percentage ranks tied for 12th in the country. George Mason leads the CAA with 8.20 points per game.

O'Hara, a first-team All-CAA pick last season after being named Rookie of the Year as a freshman, is off to another outstanding start in 2003. He is ranked second in the CAA, fifth in the South Atlantic Region and 23rd in the nation with a 0.58 goals-against average. He also is ranked tied for eighth in the region with 20 saves. As a team, the Patriots are ranked tied for 21st in the nation with a 0.57 GAA, while with three shutouts in its first five games, George Mason is ranked tied for 17th in shutout percentage at 0.60 per game.

The George Mason women broke into the regional rankings for the first time in the past three seasons by tying Pennsylvania for the No. 10 spot this week. Junior goalkeeper Sarah Coughlin (Hawthorne, NY/Westlake HS) tied her career high with 15 saves Sunday in a 1-1 tie with North Carolina State and she is ranked second in the CAA with 6.00 saves per game (36 in six contests). She also has a 1.08 GAA, ranking her fourth in the league. Sophomore Amy Alecci (Cockeysville, MD/Notre Dame Prep) paces the offense with three goals (seventh in the CAA at 0.50 per game) and six points (tied for eighth at 1.00 per game).

The George Mason men play tonight at 7 p.m. at Wake Forest (ranked fifth in the nation by the NSCAA, sixth by SoccerTimes.com and seventh by Soccer America) and host American at home Saturday at 7 p.m. The Patriot women return to action Sunday as they host Arkansas at 11 a.m.