April 17, 2008

FAIRFAX, Va. - No. 12 George Mason closes out its 2008 women's lacrosse regular season home schedule this weekend with a pair of CAA contests that will go a long way in determining the seedings for the upcoming CAA Championships. After playing two conference foes this weekend at George Mason Stadium in Drexel and Hofstra, the Patriots will hit the road for their final game, traveling to Harrisonburg, Va. to take on the James Madison Dukes.

Friday's game against Drexel is slated for a 7 p.m. start, while Sunday's game against Hofstra is scheduled to begin at 1 p.m. Sunday will be Senior Day at George Mason Stadium. The Patriots will honor their senior class of Megan Bartlett, Laura King, Jenny Tran and Alex Velesz in a ceremony prior to the start of the game.

The Patriots will attempt to rebound from a tough 16-3 loss on Wednesday at Virginia, the fourth-ranked team in the nation in the latest IWLCA/Under Armour Poll. The Cavaliers used a 14-0 run to begin the game to ensure that Mason would not spoil its Senior Night at Klockner Stadium. Despite Wednesday's loss, the Patriots are currently in second place in the CAA standings with a 10-3 overall record and 3-1 conference record. Mason trails Towson, who holds a 4-1 record in the CAA, but the Patriots hold the tiebreaker over the Tigers by virtue of their 13-10 win at Johnny Unitas Stadium on April 11. The top-four teams in the standings all advance to the CAA Championships with the winner earning the conference's automatic bid to the NCAA Division I Women's Lacrosse Championships.

Drexel enters Friday's contest with a 10-5 overall record and 2-3 mark in conference games. The Dragons began their conference schedule with three consecutive losses but have rebounded to win two straight against William and Mary, ranked 18th at the time of the game, and Old Dominion.

The Pride have also won two consecutive CAA contests entering this weekend's action to improve to 3-2 in conference play and 6-7 overall. Before Sunday's game in Fairfax, Hofstra will play at James Madison on Friday evening.

Tickets to this weekend's games will cost $5 for adults and $2 for youth and senior citizens. All full-time students enrolled at George Mason University will receive free admission with a valid student ID. On Friday, Powerade t-shirts will be thrown into the crowd throughout the game and fans will get a chance to win great prizes if the number on their game program coincides with a randomly selected "lucky number." In addition to the senior ceremony, Sunday's game is Mason Spirit Day. All fans wearing green or gold to the game will be admitted at the discounted price of $1.