FAIRFAX, Va. - Led by three Patriots with four goals or more, a balanced attack sent the George Mason lacrosse team past visiting Saint Francis to open the 2012 season Saturday afternoon at George Mason Stadium. Caitlin Formato led the way for Mason with five goals, while Emily Ellisen and Mary Schwartz each scored four. A total of eight different Patriots scored in the game as Mason opened the season 1-0.

The Patriots wasted no time jumping out with the lead, claiming three goals from Formato, Ellisen and Schwartz before Danielle Conwell recorded her first of a team-tying three goals for Saint Francis. Mason then rattled off four unanswered goals to take a controlling 7-1 lead with 16:37 to play in the first. Ellisen and Formato each scored their second goal of the afternoon before Allie Hilderbrandt found Katie Mascolo for her first career goal at 18:10.

Samantha Barton broke the Mason scoring run for a 7-2 contest before Kaylee Mikolon notched her first career goal coming at 13:52. Conwell and Megan Ross briefly stopped the strong offensive output from the Patriots, cutting the score to 9-4, but Ellisen opened a 4-0 Patriot run with a pair of goals one minute apart as the home squad took a 13-4 lead with just over two minutes to play. Conwell closed the stanza with a goal at the 29 second mark as Saint Francis opened the second half with goals from Ross and Barton, moving the score to a 13-7 tally.

Sophomore Rachel Obregon stopped the Red Flash spurt finding Schwartz for her third goal of the game before scoring for the first time in the Green and Gold at 17:34. The Patriots saw another three unanswered goals while taking a commanding 18-7 lead and closed the game with Formato's fifth goal of the afternoon.

Formato converted six shots into five goals and finished the game with three draw controls, two ground balls and one caused turnover. Meanwhile, Schwartz recorded four goals on six shots and finished with two assists, one ground ball and one draw control. Ellisen had three draw controls, one ground ball and one caused turnover. Kiersten Jauschnegg led the way for Mason with a game-high four caused turnovers and also had three ground balls.

Mason held the advantage in shots (32-17), ground balls (15-14) and draws (21-9). Brittany Pastrana picked up the win playing the complete first half as Katie Teague came in after the break and made three stops in the period.  

The win marks the first time the Patriots have opened the season 1-0 under fourth-year head coach Lauren Hay.

Mason continues this season-opening six-game homestand welcoming Johns Hopkins to George Mason Stadium on Saturday, Feb. 18 for a 1 p.m. meeting.