Oct. 30, 2004

Box Score

FAIRFAX, Va. -- On "Senior Night", it was junior midfielders Amy Alecci (Cockeysville, Md.) and Danielle MacDonald (Burke, Va.) who scored quick strike goals in the second half to push George Mason to a 2-0 Colonial Athletic Association women's soccer shut out victory over visiting Delaware Saturday evening at George Mason Stadium in the regular season finale for both teams.

With the win, the Patriots (10-6-3, 5-2-2 CAA) clinch the No. 5 seed in the CAA Women's Soccer Tournament, and visits 4th-seeded James Madison Tuesday in first round action at 7 p.m.. Mason remains unbeaten in its last seven contests (5-0-2) and wins its fourth consecutive match. Delaware (9-6-3, 4-4-1 CAA), which loses its second straight contest, is knocked out of a postseason berth as it closes its season.

After a scoreless first half that saw the Patriots out shoot the Blue Hens, 8-4, Alecci put Mason on the board with an unassisted goal at 59:54. Inside the box, Alecci won a battle for possession of the ball against a Delaware defender and blasted a shot from 10 yards out for the 1-0 lead. Less than a minute later after play had resumed, sophomore midfielder L.J. Williams (Fairfax Station, Va.) sent a through ball to the left, where a streaking MacDonald beat her defender and launched a goal into the top left corner of the net, giving Mason an insurance marker at 60:23.

The Patriot defensive unit of Kristin Portell (Jr.; Woodbridge, Va.), Allison Cowan (Sr.; Shorewood, Minn.), Jessica Paris (Fr.; Clifton, Va.) and Amanda Schmidt (So.; Princeton Junction, N.J.) allowed the Blue Hens to take only three second half shots and limited them to seven attempts on the night. Mason delivered 20 shots overall and led 5-4 in corner kicks.

Patriot senior goalkeeper Sarah Coughlin (Hawthorne, N.Y.) didn't allow a goal in 70:15 minutes and made one save, while reserve keeper Olivia Brown (Des Moines, Wash.) also had one save in 19:45 minutes. Delaware sophomore goalkeeper Bonnie Mills (Bear, Del.) totaled nine stops.

Prior to Saturday's final regular season game, George Mason honored the accomplishments of its seniors who were playing in their final home game. They include Coughlin, forwards Sarah Wilkinson (Lincoln University, Pa.) and Dianna Russini (Old Tappan, N.J.), midfielder Franmarie Gregg (Chesterfield, Va.) and Cowan.

Box Score
	                                1	2	Final
Delaware (9-6-3, 4-4-1 CAA)	        0	0	-0
George Mason (10-6-3, 5-2-2 CAA)	0	2	-2
Scoring Summary:
Period	Time	Team	Scoring
2	59:54	GM	Amy Alecci
	60:23	GM	Danielle MacDonald (L.J. Williams)
Shots: GM (20);  DEL (7)
Corners: GM (5);  DEL (4)
Saves: GM- Sarah Coughlin (1 sv, 70:15 min), Olivia Brown (1 sv, 19:45 min);  DEL- Bonnie Mills (9)
Attendance: 257