April 6, 2007

FAIRFAX, Va. - George Mason (5-3, 0-0 CAA) opens up its Colonial Athletic Association women's lacrosse schedule this weekend with a pair of home games at George Mason Stadium. The Patriots will play the 20th-ranked team in the country according to the latest IWLCA poll, the Delaware Fightin' Blue Hens (5-3, 1-0 CAA), on Friday at 7:05 p.m. before finishing up the weekend with a game against the Towson Tigers (3-5, 0-1 CAA) on Sunday at 1:05 p.m.

Mason will be well-rested for Friday's game against Delaware, having played its last game on Wednesday, March 28 against George Washington, a 14-11 come-from-behind victory for the Patriots. Junior attacker Laura King led Mason with four goals in the game, while redshirt senior defender Katie Linnertz matched a career high with five caused turnovers.

Freshman midfielder Kelly Davis, a three-time CAA Rookie of the Week honoree, leads the Patriots with 24 goals, including three game-winning goals. She is tied for the team lead with King with 28 points. George Mason ranks first among the conference's eight teams in both ground balls per game (22.75) and caused turnovers per game (10.88).

Like the Patriots, the Fightin' Blue Hens enter Friday's game with a 5-3 overall record. However, Delaware has already played a CAA game, downing Towson in a high-scoring affair, 16-15, on April 1 at Rullo Stadium in Newark, Del. The Fightin' Blue Hens have won four consecutive games and swept the CAA Weekly Awards when they were handed out by the conference office this Monday. Senior midfielder Katie Muth was named the Player of the Week after finishing with six goals on six shots, four assists, five ground balls, four draw controls and three caused turnovers in Delaware's two victories. Freshman attacker Courtney Aburn garnered CAA Rookie of the Week honors, tallying six goals, three assists and four draw controls in two games.

On Sunday, the Patriots will face Towson, a team that has lost its last two games by a combined two goals, including the loss to Delaware in its CAA opener. Before playing Mason, the Tigers will take on the defending CAA Champion James Madison Dukes in a 4 p.m. game on Friday in Harrisonburg, Va.

Both games will be televised on tape delay on Verizon FiOS1. Friday's game will air on April 13 at 8 p.m. and on April 14 at 3 p.m. Sunday's game will air on April 15 at 10 a.m. FiOS is Verizon's Fiber Optic television service currently available in 10 states, including Virginia.