Oct. 12, 2008

Box Score

Fairfax, Va. - The George Mason women's soccer team played one of its most active matches of the year, taking the ball to UNC Wilmington time and time again and rallying from a 2-0 deficit to tie the score before ultimately falling to the Seahawks, 3-2 at George Mason Stadium. The Colonial Athletic Association match saw 22 shots on goal as the momentum shifted back and forth. In the end, the Seahawks (8-5-1, 4-2-0) were able to came away with the win over the Patriots (4-10-0, 1-5-0).

The Seahawks struck twice in the first 15 minutes to take control early before Mason rallied throughout the middle portion of the game. The first goal came in the seventh minute when Sarah Matthews scored off a free kick from Kelly Renkin. The free kick came from the right side and Matthews scored at the far post. In the 13th minute, Mason nearly scored an equalizer as Jessica Paris and Kelly Keelan played terrific two-man soccer resulting in a Keelan shot on goal that Emily Pratt stopped on her fingertips.

In the 14th minute, Renkin took possession of the ball on the Wilmington side of the field and dribbled through the Mason defense inside the 18 and scored on the right side to make it 2-0. Mason got on the board before the half when Colleen Killiany played a ball from midfield into the box. Theresa DeLucca settled the ball and with two defenders on her, she passed from right to left to Kelly Thomas. Thomas turned and put the ball into the right corner of the net to make it 2-1.

In the first 10 minutes of the second half, Mason thrice had chances to score the equalizer. First Thomas raced up the right sideline and crossed to Keelan, but the pass was off target. The second chance was a Keelan corner that found Sasha Vido in space and she blasted a shot that Pratt saved with a terrific effort. The third Mason scoring chance came in the 56th minute when Thomas found Paris who left the ball for DeLucca who shot the ball high at a nearly open net.

In the 68th minute, the Patriots came close to make it a tied game. Paris took a free kick from 35 yards out that she put right on the back post and Pratt stopped the ball and kept it out of the net on the ensuing scrum. The equalizer finally did come in the 72nd minute when Killiany chased down a ball keeping it alive at the goal line and she found Paris who headed the ball out of the goal keeper's hands to make it 2-2.

Moments later, Mason nearly took the lead when Thomas had a breakaway, but the UNC Wilmington defense got there in time to block the shot. Pratt and the UNC Wilmington defense rose to the occasion in the 78th minute when a Mason corner resulted in a Paris header which the Seahawk defenders blocked. The ball went back to Keelan in the corner and she again served the box, this time with Paris getting two more headers and Patti Benner getting one. The result was two Pratt saves and a UNC Wilmington team save.

The Seahawks were able to regain the lead in the 73rd minute when a poor Mason goal kick resulted in Maddy Bullington taking possession in the center fo the field about 40 yards out. She brought the ball to within 25 yards before scoring on the left side to make it 3-2. Pratt finished with 13 saves while Mason's Melissa Mailley had four.

The Patriots will return to action on Friday when they travel to Drexel for a 7 p.m. match.