April 22, 2008

The George Mason women's soccer team had a wildly successful spring season in 2008 as the Patriots went 8-3-2 and showcased a lot offense and some stifling defense. Mason played seven area teams, three of which played in the NCAA Tournament last year, and had six matches while in Brazil over Spring Break.

The Patriots took wins over East Carolina (1-0), Georgetown (1-0), Longwood (1-0) and Johns Hopkins (3-0), tied William & Mary (1-1) and Loyola (0-0) and lost to George Washington (1-0). While in Brazil, Mason went 4-2. The Patriots were 5-2 on the road, 1-1-1 on neutral ground and 2-0-1 at home.

The Patriot defense allowed just 0.78 goals per game and had seven shutouts. The offense, meanwhile, averaged 1.7 goals per game. Both numbers were improvements over Fall of 2007.

Kelly Keelan led the Patriots offensively with 16 points in 13 matches. She had five goals and six assists. Patti Benner and Leslie Cabe each had four goals and Benner added an assist. Theresa DeLucca had three goals and an assists, Annie Lebherz had two goals and two assists and Jessica Paris had two goals and an assist. Newcomer Max King had a goal and three assists while Capricia Alston added a goal and an assist and Nilani Duarte had a goal.

While Keelan was certainly the top offensive player, perhaps no one was more of a standout than Amy Arroyo. A medical redshirt freshman in 2007, Arroyo started every match in net and was responsible for the seven shutouts and the eight victories.

The 2008 fall season begins in late August with the Patriots' home opener tentatively scheduled for the first weekend in September.