Oct. 24, 2004
Box Score
FAIRFAX, Va. -- Freshman defender Jessica Paris (Clifton, Va.) scored the game-tying and game-winning goals in a wild second half to rally George Mason's women's soccer team past visiting Virginia Commonwealth, 3-2, giving the Patriots (8-6-3, 3-2-2 CAA) a crucial Colonial Athletic Association win over the Rams (11-6-0, 4-3-0 CAA) Sunday afternoon at George Mason Stadium.
The Patriots have won two straight and remain unbeaten in their last five contests (3-0-2), thus keeping their CAA tournament hopes alive heading into this final weekend of play. The Rams, meanwhile, have lost two straight after winning seven of eight matches. Mason now leads the all-time series 10-1-1 and is 5-0 at home versus VCU.
"This was another big win for us," expressed head coach Diane Drake. "This game could have gone either way, but we found a way to win. It was great to see our freshmen play the way that they did. This was a huge weekend for us, and they've improved tremendously since the start of the season. Our team chemistry is working well for us now."
The Rams owned the shots advantage in the first period, 13-2, and dominated play on both ends of the field, but the Patriots took advantage of the few scoring opportunities they did get. Mason junior defender Kristin Portell (Woodbridge, Va.) sent a pass to junior midfielder Danielle MacDonald (Burke, Va.) down the left side of the field. MacDonald beat her defender and sent a cross into the box, where freshman forward Sarah Fack (Algonquin, Ill.) headed in a goal from seven yards out at the 20:10 mark to give the Patriots a 1-0 early advantage. Mason settled in defensively amongst a barrage of shots from the Rams to take the 1-0 lead into halftime. Patriot senior goalkeeper Sarah Coughlin (Hawthorne, N.Y.) collected 10 of her game-high 11 saves in the first period.
Defensive lapses in the second frame proved costly for both squads, as three goals were scored in a 10-minute span. Va. Commonwealth capitalized first behind the foot of team leading goals scorer Jen Parsons (Sr., F, Portugal Cove, Newfoundland). Freshman midfielder Bridget Cooley (Clifton, Va.) sent a right cross to Parsons who raced past her opponent and scored from 10 yards out to tie the contest at 1-1 in the 63rd minute. Roughly three minutes later, Rams' freshman goalkeeper Emily Niman (Pittsburgh, Pa.) leisurely put the ball in play to junior midfielder Sandra Anger (Cuguen, France), but Anger took the pass and streaked down the center of the field before making a long forward pass to junior forward Hedda Gardsjord (Oslo, Norway). Gardsjord got ahead of her defender and sent a goal top shelf over Coughlin to put the Rams ahead, 2-1, at 65:26.
That's when Paris went to work. A little over a minute later, she collected a routine throw-in from the right side and saw an opening. She blasted a shot into the lower left corner of the goal to tie the match at 2-2 in the 67th minute. At the 82:09 mark, senior forward Sarah Wilkinson (Lincoln University, Pa.) was involved in a scramble for the ball inside the box. She came up with it, and made a brilliant touch pass to Paris, who fired from eight yards away for the go-ahead goal. Mason then played solid defense down the stretch to preserve the victory.
"It was a hard fought game today on both sides," stated Paris. "Our team played awesome this weekend. Coach [Drake] told us that we all needed to step up and win today to improve our tournament chances. She's had me play defense a lot this season, but said that when I see an opportunity, I need to take it. My two goals in the second half were just that; I saw opportunities and went for them."
Overall, VCU led in shots, 18-7, but both teams were even with three corner kicks apiece. Niman recorded two saves for the Rams.
George Mason closes out its regular season with two more home games. The Patriots host Towson Thursday at 7 p.m. before entertaining Delaware Saturday at 7 p.m.
Box Score
1 2 Final
Virginia Commowealth (11-6-0, 4-3-0 CAA) 0 2 -2
George Mason (8-6-3, 3-2-2 CAA) 1 2 -3
Scoring Summary:
Period Time Team Scoring
1 20:10 GM Sarah Fack (Danielle MacDonald, Kristin Portell)
2 62:18 VCU Jen Parsons (Bridgit Cooley)
65:26 VCU Hedda Gardsjord (Sandra Anger, Emily Niman)
66:50 GM Jessica Paris
82:09 GM Jessica Paris (Sarah Wilkinson)
Shots: GM (7); VCU (18)
Saves: GM- Sarah Coughlin (11); VCU- Emily Niman (2)
Corners: GM (3); VCU (3)
Attendance: 158
