June 28, 2005
Fairfax, Va.--George Mason men's soccer team has 18 regular season games slated for the 2005 season, including nine home games. Included in this mix are six teams that were participants in the 2004 NCAA College Cup and two new members of the Colonial Athletic Association in Northeastern and Georgia State.
"We have a very strong schedule slated for the 2005 season," said O'Leary. "We will face six teams that competed in last season's College Cup, which includes three squads from the Colonial Athletic Association."
The Patriots begin the 2005 campaign on the road at Liberty on Sept. 2, which is followed by Mason's home opener two days later against Philadelphia. The Patriots will then travel to Providence, R.I. to compete in the adidas/Brown Soccer Classic where Mason will face-off against Connecticut, which advanced to the second round of the 2004 College Cup, and Brown on Sept. 9 & 11, respectively.
"Our non-conference schedule once again includes some perennial powers in Connecticut, Penn State and George Washington," said O'Leary. "The seven non-league teams we are going to face will leave us well tested for the rigors of conference competition."
The next four games will be played at George Mason Stadium, which include three of the six teams that competed in last year's NCAA College Cup. The Patriots will square-off against George Washington (Sept. 17), La Salle (Sept. 19) and Big Ten member school, Penn State (Sept. 24), which advanced to the second round of the 2004 College Cup. Last season, Mason defeated GWU on the Colonials home turf by a score of 2-0 and Mason ended in a scoreless tie against the then-No. 3 Nittany Lions in State College, Pa.
Rounding out the four-game homestand and opening the Patriots' league schedule is Virginia Commonwealth (Sept. 30). The Rams advanced to the quarterfinals of the College Cup last season, which included a victory over GWU in the second round.
"The CAA was ranked as the fourth-toughest conference in the country last season," stated O'Leary. "The expansion of the league this year, which includes both Northeastern and Georgia State, will add an exciting flavor to CAA competition."
Mason then plays three-straight road games, which include match-ups at James Madison (Oct. 2), Northeastern (Oct. 7) and Hofstra (Oct. 9). The Pride won the 2004 CAA Championship and went on to claim a victory in the NCAA College Cup, but fell in the second round to Maryland.
Of the next six games, four are home contests for the Patriots, including UNC Wilmington (Oct. 14), Georgia State (Oct. 16), Old Dominion (Oct. 28) and their final home game, William & Mary on Oct. 30. The Patriots will close out the 2005 regular season on the road as Mason will face Towson in Maryland on Nov. 5.
The CAA Tournament First Round is slated to be played at the highest seed on Nov. 8 and the semifinals (Nov. 11) , as well as the championship game (Nov. 13) will be played at a site yet to be determined.
GEORGE MASON UNIVERSITY
2005 MEN'S SOCCER SCHEDULE
August 24 (Wed) at Rutgers (Scrimmage) 7:00 p.m.
27 (SAT) LOYOLA (Md.) (Scrimmage) 7:00 p.m.
September 2 (Fri) at Liberty 7:00 p.m.
4 (SUN) PHILADELPHIA 1:00 p.m.
Adidas/Brown Soccer Classic (Providence, R.I.)
9 (Fri) vs. Connecticut 5:00 p.m.
11 (Sun) at Brown 2:30 p.m.
17 (SAT) GEORGE WASHINGTON 7:00 p.m.
20 (TUE) LA SALLE 7:00 p.m.
24 (SAT) PENN STATE 8:00 p.m.
30 (FRI) VIRGINIA COMMONWEALTH* 7:00 p.m.
October 2 (Sun) at James Madison* 2:00 p.m.
7 (Fri) at Northeastern* 6:00 p.m.
9 (Sun) at Hofstra* 2:00 p.m.
14 (FRI) UNC WILMINGTON* 7:00 p.m.
16 (SUN) GEORGIA STATE* 1:00 p.m.
21 (Fri) at Delaware* 7:00 p.m.
23 (Sun) at Drexel* 1:00 p.m.
28 (FRI) OLD DOMINION* 7:00 p.m.
30 (SUN) WILLIAM & MARY* 1:00 p.m.
November 5 (Sat) at Towson* 1:00 p.m.
Colonial Athletic Association Tournament
8 (Tues) First Round at Highest Seed TBA
11 (Fri) Semifinal at TBA TBA
13 (Sun) Championship at TBA TBA
HOME GAMES IN ALL CAPS
All Home Games at George Mason Stadium
* Colonial Athletic Association Game
