FAIRFAX, Va. - The George Mason lacrosse team closed out its 2012 home regular season slate in style Friday night, defeating visiting Old Dominion 9-7 in Colonial Athletic Association play. The Patriots fought off a furious Lady Monarch rally in the second half to defeat the visiting squad for the first time since 2008. Emily Ellisen, Caitlin Formato and Rachel Obregon fueled Mason's offensive attack, combining for seven goals.

Ellisen led Mason (3-10, 1-3 CAA) with three goals and two assists, while Formato and Obregon each added a pair of goals. Katie Mascolo and Mary Schwartz capped off the Patriots' scoring as Joy Oberlin led the Green and Gold with three draw controls. Ellisen finished the night with four caused turnovers and five of Mason's 20 ground balls, while goalkeeper Brittany Pastrana picked up the win playing the full game in cage, making seven saves, including five in the second half.

Rebecca Reymann paced the Old Dominion (4-10, 1-3 CAA) offense with a team-high three goals, while Sarah Wright added two and Lisa Bernardini and Christina Rea each added one goal on the evening. Five different Lady Monarchs recorded a caused turnover, while three won three draw controls. Goalkeeper Sarah Geary drew the loss logging 60 minutes in cage and recorded eight saves, five in the final period.

Holding a 5-2 halftime lead, Mason continued a 3-0 run to close the first half with goals from Ellisen and Obregon to open the final 30 minutes for a 7-2 lead with 28:03 to play. Old Dominion then ignited its second half rally, rattling off five unanswered goals over the next seven minutes as Wright tied the score at 7-7 with her second goal of the game at the 9:12 marker. Obregon's 20^th goal of the season proved to be the game-winner when the sophomore converted a free position attempt with 3:40 left to play. Mascolo handed Mason a two-goal cushion finishing an Ellisen feed at 1:50 for the final 9-7 victory.

In the first period, Mason carried a 5-2 lead into the halftime break finding a pair of goals from Ellisen and Formato as Schwartz capped the scoring with a last second goal to account for the halftime margin. The Patriots quickly opened the scoring as Ellisen converted a free position shot at 26:49 before Formato scored unassisted just over 20 seconds later for a 2-0 tally. The Lady Monarchs matched the home squad's offensive effort scoring a pair of unanswered goals over the next five minutes to knot the score at 2-all with 21:01 to play.

The Patriots, however, held Old Dominion scoreless the remainder of the period as Formato scored at 19:37 before Ellisen posted her second goal of the game at 8:51, handing Mason a 4-2 lead. Schwartz scored with two seconds left on the clock after scooping up a ground ball for the 5-2 halftime score.