Oct. 20, 2004
FAIRFAX, Va. - George Mason's women's soccer team begins a four-game homestand this weekend as it takes on Colonial Athletic Association foes UNC Wilmington Friday at 7 p.m. at George Mason Stadium and Va. Commonwealth Sunday at 1 p.m. These two teams head into Fairfax ranked atop the CAA in goals-per game.
George Mason is looking forward to some "home cooking" this weekend as the Patriots are 12-1 overall at home against the Seahawks and the Rams. Mason is 6-1 all-time at George Mason Stadium against the Seahawks and leads the series, 11-3. Mason last loss at home to UNCW in 1999. The Seahawks won last year's meeting 2-1 in Wilmington, N.C.
Against VCU, the Patriots are 4-0 in Fairfax and lead the series, 9-1-1. Mason's only loss in the previous meetings occurred last year in Richmond (3-0), breaking a string of eight consecutive victories. The two teams last met in the 2003 CAA tournament semifinals with the Rams advancing to the final after penalty kicks following a double-overtime 0-0 tie.
George Mason (6-6-3 overall, 1-2-2 CAA) is unbeaten in its last three contests - all of which have gone into double overtime. The Patriots are 2-0-3 in OT games this season and 8-0-9 in their last 17 OT matches, dating back to 2001.
On offense, the Patriots are led by senior forward Sarah Wilkinson (Lincoln University, Pa.), who has seven goals and four assists for 18 points - all of which are team highs. Junior midfielder Danielle MacDonald (Burke, Va.) is second on the squad in points with eight (2G, 4A). Defensively, the Patriots are starting three freshmen alongside junior defender Kristin Portell (Woodbridge, Va.). Senior netminder Sarah Coughlin (Hawthorne, N.Y.) owns a 1.77 goals-against average and has 44 saves on the season.
UNC Wilmington (10-3-1, 1-3-1 CAA) began the season on a school record nine-game win streak, but has since dropped three of its last five, including a 2-1 loss at Delaware Oct. 17. Ten different players have scored at least two goals this season for the Seahawks, who rank 15 nationally in scoring offense and are averaging 2.86 goals per game. Kristine Mengle leads the UNCW attack with 10 goals and two assists for 22 points. Caroline Renkin (19 pts) and Jennifer Cauble (13 pts) have also put up big numbers. Goalkeeper Rachel Wilson owns a 1.87 goals-against average and has 47 saves on the season.
Va. Commonwealth (11-4-0, 4-1-0 CAA), which is tied for the conference lead with 12 points, has won seven of its last eight matches, including a 3-0 shut out of Towson Oct. 17. The Rams own the most potent offense in the league, as they average 2.87 goals per game, and have posted shut outs in each of their four CAA wins. Four players, including reigning CAA Player of Year Jen Parsons, have collected double-digit points. Parsons (12G, 6A, 30P) is tied for the team and league lead in points with teammate Solfrid Anderson (11G, 8A, 30P). The pair is ranked 20th nationally in points per game. Goalkeeper Lauren Hardison has a 0.80 goals-against average and has 32 saves. SoccerBuzz.com ranks VCU eighth in the Mid-Atlantic region.
Both games will feature GameTracker webcast game information live via the Internet. Fans of Patriots women's soccer can access GameTracker from the women's soccer schedule. VCU will stream live audio of Sunday's 1 p.m. tilt. Click here to access the live audio stream link.
Mason is tied for seventh in the 10-team CAA field with five points, while UNC Wilmington is one behind with four points. The Patriots close out their season with this four-game homestand that ends Oct. 30. The top six teams make the CAA Tournament, which begins Tuesday, Nov. 2.
