Sept. 23, 2003
FAIRFAX, VA ... The schedule does not get any easier for the George Mason men's soccer team as it visits top-ranked Maryland at Ludwig Field in College Park, MD, Wednesday at 7 p.m.
Maryland (7-0), ranked No. 1 in each of the national polls this week, is one of three possible top-10 teams George Mason will face in a five-game span. The Patriots have dropped their last two contests to leave their record at 4-2-1, falling at then-No. 5 Wake Forest (2-1) last Tuesday and at home vs. South Atlantic Region foe American (3-1) on Saturday. After meeting Quinnipiac at George Mason Stadium Saturday at 7 p.m., Mason will entertain 2001 NCAA champion North Carolina (ranked eighth by the NSCAA, 10th by SoccerTimes.com and 11th by Soccer America this week) next Tuesday at 7 p.m.
George Mason has done well against Maryland over the years with a 5-5-1 all-time mark against the Terrapins, including a 1-0 victory in its last visit to College Park on Oct. 10, 2001. The Patriots are 2-2 against Maryland at Ludwig Field since it opened in 1995.
The Patriots also are no stranger to success against top-ranked teams. George Mason twice defeated Virginia when it was ranked No. 1, winning 2-0 on Oct. 31, 1992, and 3-0 on Nov. 9, 1996. Both games were played at George Mason Stadium in Fairfax.
Sophomore striker Steve Alabi leads the Patriots into action against Maryland. Alabi, who has seven goals and two assists for 16 points through the first seven games this season, is ranked nationally for the third straight week as he leads the Colonial Athletic Association and the South Atlantic Region and is ranked tied for fifth in the country with 1.00 goals per game. A second-team All-CAA pick last year, Alabi also leads the CAA and the region and is ranked tied for12th in the nation with 2.29 points per game. He has four multi-goal games in his career, including a pair of two-goal efforts this season, and has scored 15 goals in just 19 career contests.
Alabi also gets support from junior Karim Manneh, who adds four goals and two assists for 10 points, and junior Danny Climo, who leads the Patriots with three assists and adds a goal for five points. Junior goalkeeper John O'Hara, a first-team All-CAA selection last season, has a 1.12 goals-against average and 23 saves.
The Terrapins have allowed just one goal all season, that coming in a 2-1 victory over American on Sept. 7. A "Final Four" team in the NCAA College Cup last fall, Maryland is led in scoring by junior Abe Thompson (four goals, two assists for 10 points) and senior A.J. Herrera (three goals, three assists for nine points), while junior goalkeeper Noah Palmer has a 0.15 GAA (second in the nation) and 13 saves.
