Oct. 26, 2007

Box Score

FAIRFAX, Va. - On a rainy night at George Mason Stadium, the Patriots' men's soccer team fell to the visiting Rams of Virginia Commonwealth by a final score of 3-1. The match marked Mason's final home contest of the regular season as the Patriots will hit the road for four consecutive CAA matches to close out the 2007 campaign.

VCU took a one-goal lead in the 26th minute of action. Senior midfielder Matthijs Maruanaya crossed the ball from the left side. The ball deflected off of a Mason defender and into the left side of the net for an own goal to give the Rams a lead they would never relinquish.

After the break, the Rams added to their lead, scoring in the 61st minute to take a 2-0 advantage in the match. Maruanaya took a shot from about 20 yards out that Mason goalkeeper Sean Kelley stepped in front of to make the stop. Unfortunately, the shot deflected off Kelley and traveled right back to a streaking Sven Meusch, who fired the ball past Kelley for his seventh goal of the season.

Virginia Commonwealth scored its final goal at the 78:08 mark of the match when senior forward Pat Viray scored his sixth goal of the season. Senior midfielder Alan Delahunty was credited with an assist on the goal.

Mason scored its first goal of the evening in the 85th minute. Senior midfielder Chris Chaves was taken down in the box, leading to a penalty kick. Chaves blasted the attempt into the back of the net for his third goal of the season to cut the Patriots' deficit to two goals.

With the loss, Mason drops to 5-7-2 overall and 2-4-1 in CAA matches. VCU, the No. 8 team in the latest NSCAA/adidas South Atlantic Region Poll, improves to 7-5-2 overall and 3-4-0 in conference play.

George Mason begins its four-match road swing to close out the regular season on Sunday when it travels to James Madison to take on the Dukes in a 2 p.m. conference showdown.