Sept. 8, 2004

FAIRFAX, Va. - The George Mason women's soccer team will host the George Mason/Burger King Invitational this weekend for the third straight year, and it once again promises to be an exciting tournament. The 2004 George Mason/Burger King Invitational features Colonial Athletic Association and Mid-Atlantic regional foe William & Mary as the Patriots' co-host. Both teams will meet Ivy League standout Harvard (currently ranked fifth in the Northeast Region) and Big East Conference member Georgetown in the two-game format at George Mason Stadium. The Hoyas are also affiliated with the Mid-Atlantic region. Beginning Thursday, William & Mary (0-2-2) faces Georgetown (3-1-0) at 4:30 p.m. before Mason (1-2-1) meets Harvard (0-2-0) at 7 p.m. The Tribe and Patriots trade opponents Saturday, with William & Mary taking on the Crimson at noon prior to George Mason squaring off with the Hoyas at 2:30 p.m. Saturday's games will feature a FREE "moon bounce" for all youth in attendance. For Mason alumni, their family and friends, tickets are only $2 dollars for the game versus Georgetown. The Patriots hosted an annual tournament in the early days of the program, but an on-campus event had not been held in many years until the George Mason Invitational occurred in 2002. That tournament highlighted three teams that had participated in the 2001 Women's College Cup, including W&M, UNC Greensboro and Illinois. Last season's event featured Boston University, NC State and Delaware. In each of the past two seasons, no team has gone 2-0 in the event. George Mason is off to a slow start this year with one win in four tries under new head coach Diane Drake. The Patriots opened the season with a 2-0 win at home against Miami, despite being out shot 15-6. A 1-1 tie against Navy at home has been followed by two consecutive road losses at Boston University and Brown. Mason has managed to out shoot opponents, 54-40 so far this year, but has only seen the back of the net five times. William & Mary has also started slowly out of the gate this year. Under head coach John Daly, who is entering his 18th year with the Tribe, the College began the campaign with a 3-2 home loss to Loyola, followed by consecutive 1-1 overtime contests at Maryland and Oklahoma State. Auburn edged William & Mary, 2-1, Sunday. Harvard's two losses have been one-goal deficits to nationally-ranked teams, as the Crimson fell to No. 8 Portland, 3-2, and lost to No. 5 Penn State at the UConn/adidas Classic. Head coach Tim Wheaton is in his 18th year with the Crimson. Georgetown has had the most success thus far of all the teams heading into this weekend's Invitational. Led by first-year head coach Dave Nolan, the Hoyas have topped Howard (7-1), Bucknell (4-0) and Quinnipiac (5-1). Their only setback was a 2-0 home loss to Dartmouth. Mason's contest against the Hoyas Saturday will also feature several reunions as Drake coaches against her former team from Georgetown, whom she led from 1999 through 2003. Nolan was an assistant of Drake's for all five seasons. Also returning will be Naomi Hines, who played goalkeeper for the Patriots from 1999-2002. Hines is in her second season as an assistant coach at Georgetown and also worked with Drake last year.

George Mason/Burger King Invitational
Thursday, Sept. 9
William & Mary vs. Georgetown, 4:30 p.m.
George Mason vs. Harvard, 7 p.m.

Saturday, Sept. 11
William & Mary vs. Harvard, Noon
George Mason vs. Georgetown, 2:30 p.m.