Nov. 8, 2007

Box Score

TOWSON, Md. - George Mason played its final match of the 2007 men's soccer season on Thursday afternoon against Towson at the Towson Center Soccer Complex in Towson, Md. The Patriots fell by a final score of 2-0 to close out their season with a 5-11-2 overall record and a 2-8-1 mark in Colonial Athletic Association matches.

The match remained scoreless until the 39th minute of play, when junior T.J. Jager scored his first goal of the season for Towson. At first look, Jager appeared to cross the ball from 25 yards out from the far side of the field. However, despite the sharp angle, the ball found its way into the upper left corner of the net past the outstretched arms of Mason redshirt junior goalkeeper Jeremy Jessup to give the Tigers a 1-0 lead.

Towson, who improved to 10-7-1 overall and 7-4-0 in the CAA with the victory, scored its second goal of the match in the 84th minute. Senior midfielder Pat Healey cleared the ball for Towson, leading Jessup to come out of the goal to attempt to clear the ball for the Patriots. However, Towson junior midfielder Matt Beckman streaked down the field and met Jessup just past midfield as he attempted to kick the ball. The ball ricocheted off Beckman's leg and rolled down the field and into the open net to put the Tigers up 2-0.

Jessup started his first match of the season in goal for the Patriots, tallying six saves in 90 minutes of action. Sophomore Sean Kelley, a 2007 Preseason All-CAA selection at goalkeeper, started 17 matches in his second year at Mason.

Thursday's match closes out the careers of George Mason seniors Elon Backer, Brian Barry-Austin, Chris Chaves, Adam Lobene, Jordan Mault and Blake Roth. After beginning the season with a 5-4-1 record following its 1-0 double-overtime victory at Delaware on Oct. 12, Mason had a tough end to the season, finishing without a win in its final eight matches.

The 2007 CAA men's soccer regular season concludes today with a total of six scheduled matches. The first round of the CAA Championships begin on Tuesday, Nov. 13. The semifinals and final are slated for Friday, Nov. 16 and Sunday, Nov. 18, respectively, at the Virginia Beach Sportsplex in Virginia Beach, Va.

With the win, Towson secured its spot in the CAA Championships and will await the results of tonight's matches to determine its seeding. The victory marked Towson Head Coach Frank Olszewski's 250th career win.