May 24, 2005
FAIRFAX, Va. - Internet magazine Soccer Buzz recently announced its top 100 women's soccer recruiting classes for the 2005 season, and George Mason ranked 81st overall and 10th among all schools in the Mid-Atlantic Region. The unit, which is second-year head coach Diane Drake's first recruiting class, is also the Patriots first regional Soccer Buzz top 10 recruiting class since 1999, when Mason ranked seventh in the Mid-Atlantic.
Soccer Buzz, established in 1996, is a Web site devoted to the promotion of women's college soccer.
"Being ranked and getting more exposure on a regional level helps as a catalyst to the national level." stated Drake. "Having a top-10 regional recruiting class at George Mason is just the first step in building this program back to a point where it makes the NCAA Tournament on a consistent basis. Each year our goal is to bring in players that are capable of competing at a high level, so that top 10 recruiting classes eventually translate into top five recruiting classes.
"As Mason continues to bring in high caliber talent, we put ourselves in better position to win more games, get ranked higher in our region throughout the season, and eventually that will lead to a possible automatic or at-large NCAA Tournament berth."
Six student-athletes inked to National Letters of Intent to play women's soccer at George Mason University, beginning in the 2005 season. Joining the team this year will be midfield/forwards Jenny Sparks (Costa Mesa, Calif/Costa Mesa) and Colleen Killiany (Fairfax, Va./W.T. Woodson), midfielder Nilani Duarte (Costa Mesa, Calif./Costa Mesa), midfield/defender Jessie Hart (Springfield, Va./Hayfield) and defenders Emily Napolitano (Bordentown, N.J./Bordentown Regional) and Mary Raveia (Fairfax, Va./W.T. Woodson).
"We are very excited about our first recruiting class to Mason," Drake continued. "All of these players are capable of contributing immediately for the Patriots in 2005. This is a very diverse group of athletes with a lot of depth and versatility who will not only complement each other, but will intentionally complement the returning squad. I believe this class is one for the immediate future."
George Mason played solidly all season in 2004 for Drake. After starting the year 2-4-1, the Patriots rebounded to go 8-3-2 down the stretch, winning at least 10 regular season games for the first time since 2000 and posting four wins a row for the first time since 1998.
The fifth-seeded Patriots fell to No. 4 seed James Madison 1-0 in the first round of Colonial Athletic Association Women's Soccer Tournament. Mason also registered a 2-0-3 overtime record in 2004, extending its unbeaten overtime streak to 17 games (Mason is 8-0-9 in OT games since Oct. 19, 2001).
