April 6, 2007

Box Score

FAIRFAX, Va. - Despite a second period rally, George Mason (5-4, 0-1 CAA) dropped its 2007 Colonial Athletic Association women's lacrosse conference opener against the 20th-ranked Delaware Fightin' Blue Hens (6-3, 2-0 CAA) by a final score of 15-11 on Friday evening at George Mason Stadium.

Delaware extended its winning streak to five consecutive games due in large part to a first period in which the Fightin' Blue Hens scored the first four goals of the game, and eight of the first 10 goals to head into the intermission with an 8-2 lead. A pair of freshman, Courtney Aburn and Nicole Flego, both scored three goals in the period.

After the break, George Mason mounted a comeback, scoring the first three goals of the second period to cut into the Delaware lead, trailing by a three-goal deficit at 8-5. Three goals is the closest the Patriots would get in the game, as the team cut the deficit to three goals on four more occasions in the second period but could never pull any closer.

Sophomore attacker Brittany Berger led the Patriots with three goals and an assist for a total of four points in the game. Senior midfielder Jess Shelton led Mason with four ground balls, while Berger, redshirt junior Alex Velesz and sophomore Maggie Bridges all tallied two caused turnovers.

Aburn, the reigning CAA Rookie of the Week, finished with four goals and an assist for five points, while Flego tallied three goals and three assists for six points for the Fightin' Blue Hens. Goalkeeper Jessica Cerveny played all 60 minutes in net and finished with 12 saves.

Tonight's game will be televised on tape delay on Verizon FiOS1. The game will air on April 13 at 8 p.m. and on April 14 at 3 p.m. FiOS is Verizon's Fiber Optic television service currently available in 10 states, including Virginia.

On Sunday at 1:05 p.m. at George Mason Stadium, the Patriots will face CAA foe Towson, a team that has lost its last three games, including its most recent contest against the defending CAA Champion James Madison Dukes on Friday in Harrisonburg, Va. by a final score of 13-8. The Tigers are 3-6 overall and 0-2 in CAA games this season.