Sept. 25, 2010

Box Score

Norfolk, Va. - The George Mason men's soccer team opened Colonial Athletic Association play on the road on Saturday night and they played 110 minutes of scoreless soccer with Old Dominion as the Patriots and Monarchs tied at 0-0. Freshman goal keeper Sean Cote made a career-high 11 saves, including one in the final seconds as the Patriots improved to 4-2-1, 0-0-1 on the year. The Monarchs are 4-2-1, 1-0-1.

The Patriots nearly went up 1-0 in the third minute when Ryan Gracia's shot was stopped by Evan Newton and Victor Freeman was the first one to the rebound. But Newton got back into position to stop Freeman's shot and keep it scoreless. Then it was Sean Cote's turn to step up as he stopped three ODU shots in a 10-minute span.

Three minutes into the second half, the Patriots again had a terrific scoring opportunity. Alhagi Toure had a shot in close but an ODU defender stepped up to make the save. Wesley Sever followed that with a shot that hit the post keeping the match scoreless. The Monarchs again countered quickly, this time with three quick shots in a short span all stopped by Cote.

The Monarchs nearly ended the match with just a few minutes left in regulation but Cote stopped a Jordan LeBlanc shot off a corner kick, extending the match. In the 108th minute, Old Dominion again nearly ended the contest but Gideon Asante hit the post. Derek Markheim and Toure both put shots on goal on the counter but Newton stopped both of those as he finished with eight saves to go along with the team save.

The Patriots will return to action on Saturday when they host VCU at George Mason Stadium at 5 p.m.