FAIRFAX, Va.-The George Mason men's soccer team struck first
in the match, but James Madison scored two unanswered goals to edge the
Patriots, 2-1, on senior night Saturday evening at George Mason Stadium.
In their final home match of the season, the Patriots
dropped to 10-5 and 3-4 in the CAA, while JMU improved to 6-5-3 and 4-1-2 in
the conference.
A fast-paced first half left both teams with several scoring
opportunities, but neither team capitalized as the Patriots entered the break
with a 5-3 advantage in shots and a 4-1 edge in corner kicks. Mason's best
scoring opportunity came just three minutes in, as sophomore Timi Mulgrew took
a corner kick and found junior Hugh Roberts in the box, but his header sailed
over the net.
It didn't take long for Mason to strike in the second
stanza, recording a goal just 34 seconds in for a 1-0 lead. An initial shot by Mulgrew
skirted the front of the net, where junior Wesley Sever collected the errant
shot and blasted the ball to the right side of the net for the advantage.
The Mason defense came up big in the 57th minute,
as JMU was awarded a free kick from the penalty spot after a kickback was
called by the referee. The Patriots loaded the goal and forced Dukes midfielder
Christian McLaughlin to chip a shot high and keep the scoreboard blank.
However, James Madison turned up the intensity and tied the
match in the 65th minute. This time the Dukes capitalized on a free
kick, as Paul Wyatt took the shot from just outside the left side of the box
and sent the ball untouched through the defense and to the back of the net to
leave the scoreboard at 1-1.
The game-winner came just 10 minutes later for the Dukes, as
junior Adam Bastidas crossed the ball in from the left side, finding the head
of sophomore Josh Grant who send the ball over the head of Mason keeper Dustin
Butcher for the final 2-1 margin.
JMU led in shots for the match, 14-8, including 11 in the
second half. Mason led in corner kicks, 5-3. Butcher played the entire match
for Mason stopping five shots, while Kyle Morton picked up the win for JMU,
recording three saves.
The Patriots wrap-up the regular season with three road
contests, starting at Delaware on Wednesday evening.
