FAIRFAX, Va. - The Hofstra men's soccer team scored three
unanswered goals to earn its first CAA victory of the season as it defeated George
Mason, 3-1, on Wednesday evening at George Mason Stadium.
With the win, Hofstra improved to 7-3-1 overall and 1-2 in
the CAA, while the Patriots dropped to 7-3 overall and 1-2 in conference action.
Hofstra set the pace from the beginning, and after several opportunities finally found the net in the 27th minute. Joseph
Holland connected on a breakaway feed from Chris Griebsch, beating the Mason
defense before chipping the ball over the head of keeper Dustin Butcher for a
1-0 lead.
The Pride maintained its quick pace, scoring just over 11
minutes later on an unassisted tally by Chris Grenzig.
Mason attempted to take back the momentum, but was unable to
capitalize on several corner kicks before entering the break, with the score
remaining at 2-0. Hofstra owned a 5-4 advantage in shots, while the Patriots
led, 6-2, in corner kicks.
Hofstra maintained control to open the second stanza and
registered its final goal on a long shot by Maid Memic in the 58th minute.
Griebsch picked up his second assist of the match, tapping the ball to Memic
who sent it to the back of the net, putting the Pride up, 3-0.
The Patriots responded, attempting to gain a momentum swing
with a goal by senior Taylor Morgan just 44 seconds later. Mason freshman Brice
Colcombe took a throw-in for the Patriots from the left side of the field, and
his strong toss found the head of Morgan camped out at the right post to put
Mason on the board, 3-1.
Mason kept its pace, taking two corner kicks and three shots
over the next 10 minutes but it was not enough as Hofstra held the Patriots to
just one shot over the final 24 minutes en route to its first conference win of
the season.
For the match, the Pride held a 14-9 shot advantage, while
the Patriots owned an 8-3 edge in corner kicks. Butcher played the first half
for Mason, allowing two goals while making two stops. Junior Sean Cote played
the final 45:00, allowing one goal with six saves. Hofstra keeper Adam Janowski
earned the win, playing the duration and stopping two shots.
The Patriots return to action on Saturday, hosting Longwood
in non-conference action at 7:00 p.m.
