WILMINGTON, N.C. - George Mason men's soccer staged a late rally but couldn't overcome a hat trick by UNCW senior forward Shawn Guderian as the Seahawks defeated George Mason, 4-2, on Saturday evening at UNCW Soccer Stadium.
Guderian netted his first goal of the match in the 21st minute, collecting a pass from Ettienne Boulanger to put the Seahawks (4-12-2, 2-8-1) up, 1-0. Striking again in the 30th minute, Guderian pushed the UNCW lead to 2-0, scoring off an assist from Thomas Driver.
The duo of Guderian and Driver wasted no time finding the net to start the second half, as Guderian scored his third goal of the contest to give the Seahawks a commanding 3-0 edge in the 47th minute.
George Mason (7-8-3, 4-6-1 CAA) worked its way back into the match with an unassisted goal by Ryan Gracia from six yards out in the 49th minute to leave the scoreboard in favor of the hosts, 3-1, but UNCW added an unassisted goal from Mateo Cardona in the 69th minute to push the advantage back to three goals, 4-1.
Hugh Roberts scored off an assist from Eric Zuehsow in the 87th minute, however the Patriots still fell short with the 4-2 loss, ending their season.
For the match, Mason led the Seahawks in shots, 13-10, and also owned an 8-0 advantage in corner kicks. Gracia led the Patriots with four shots, while Leo Stolz and Verneri Valimaa each tallied two shots.
In net for Mason, Sean Cote played the first half allowing two goals while stopping one shot. Dustin Butcher played the second half for the Patriots, surrendering two goals and finishing with three saves. UNCW keeper Brandon Miller played the entire match, recording three saves.
