Sept. 6, 2005

The George Mason women's soccer team plays its first home match of the 2005 season tonight as the Patriots host St. Joseph's University in George Mason Stadium at 7 p.m. Both teams are currently ranked in the Mid-Atlantic by Soccer Buzz Magazine with the Hawks sitting at No. 13 and Mason at No. 15.

The Patriots (1-2) opened the season with two matches in Hawai'i, one against the host school, a 2-1 overtime loss, and the other against BYU, a 4-0 defeat. Brigham Young is currently ranked No. 13 in the West by Soccer Buzz. The Patriots then returned to the eastern seaboard and faced American on the road, with Mason emerging from that contest with a 3-0 victory.

The Patriots have struggled early to get shots off. Mason has attempted less than 10 shots per game while allowing nearly 18 shots per game. The one thing in Mason's favor is that the shots they have taken have been on goal. Mason trails in shots-on-goal by just one, 20-19.

The offensive production has come from the expected spots, as senior Danielle MacDonald has two goals while Rachel Wiggins and Sarah Fack each have a goal. Of all returning players in 2005, Fack and MacDonald had the most points in 2004. Third on that list was Jessica Paris, who is still searching for her first goal of the year.

The Patriots have gotten some solid play out of goalie Olivia Brown, who recorded the shutout over American. She has made 15 saves on the season. After opening the season with a 1-0 loss at home to Delaware, St. Joseph's (2-1) has put together a pair of 2-1 road wins, defeating Villanova and downing Rutgers. Six different players have tallied points for the Hawks, with Ashley Bugnar, Nancy Cook, Alisha Paine and Lauren Stevis all scoring one goal and Kimmy Leigh and Megan Schutt each recording assists.

Senior goalkeeper Nicole DiEnna has been superb in the net for St. Joseph's, with saves on 19 of 22 chances. She is allowing an average of one goal per game and she has played all 270 minutes for the Hawks.