PROVIDENCE, R.I. - The George Mason men's soccer team
battled to a 2-2 draw against Holy Cross Sunday afternoon to close out the
Brown Soccer Classic at Stevenson Field. Julio Arjona and Verneri Valimaa both
scored for the Patriots.
Mason (2-2-1) outshot Holy Cross (0-3-2) 25-15 in the
contest led by Valimaa's seven attempts, including two on frame. Ryan Gracia
took five shots as the Patriots held a 12-9 shots on goal edge over Holy Cross.
Michael Thompson recorded a season-high 10 saves for the Crusaders, while
Dustin Butcher and Sean Cote split time in the net, combining for seven saves.
With his second goal of the season, Arjona put Mason in
front just over six minutes into the game. From the top of the box, the
sophomore sent a blast high above the keeper to give the Patriots a 1-0 lead.
The Patriots saw two additional scoring chances in the first
half to increase their lead when Ryan Gracia and Wesley Sever forced Holy Cross
goalkeeper Thompson into his first two saves midway through the first half. The
Crusaders evened the score when Monty Sanders scored at the 25:11 mark hooking
it in on the right side after heading it to himself to knot the score at 1-all.
The Crusaders took their first lead in the 59th
minute on a Tommy Uttaro goal. Josh Cintas sent a low ball over to Uttaro on
the right side of the goal as the Crusader was able to send it past Butcher on
the low left for a 2-1 Holy Cross advantage.
Mason saw a scoring opportunity on a Paul Andrews header in
the 63rd minute, but Thompson came up with the save to keep the Crusaders
in the lead. The advantage, however, was short-lived as Valimaa scored his
second goal of the season to tie the score at 2-2 in the 80th
minute. Valimaa took control of the ball during a scramble in the box and
punched it in for the equalizer.
In overtime, Mason created several opportunities, but was
unable to find the back of the net as the teams battled to a 2-2 draw. The Patriots
posted three shots on goal in extra minutes to the Crusaders' one.
Mason returns to Fairfax to welcome Central Florida Friday
night, September 16, at 8 p.m. as part of a doubleheader with the women's team.
