FAIRFAX, Va. – The George Mason women's soccer team picked up its second shutout this season, handling Old Dominion in a 3-0 victory Saturday night. The win pushed Mason to 2-3-1 on the season, while ODU dropped to 0-6.
Mason got things rolling in the first half with Kelly Pizzingrilli's first goal of the season, before posting two unanswered goals in the second half for the final 3-0 triumph. For the contest, Mason narrowly outshot ODU 11-10, but was on target, putting seven shots on goal to ODU's two. Mason goalkeeper Lyndse Hokanson played the full 90 minutes and recorded two saves to pick up the win. Meredith Lenox made four stops for the Lady Monarchs.
Pizzingrilli's first goal of the season gave the Patriots an early 1-0 lead they carried into the halftime intermission. Pizzingrilli's tally was initiated on a Brenna Connell cross to the far corner as the junior connected from just inside the 18-yard mark. Jazmin Cardoso threatened to increase Mason's lead blasting a shot that hit the crossbar and bounced back into play just under seven minutes later. Mason closed out the half as Emma Starr drilled a shot from 25-yards out in the center that Lenox scooped up to keep Mason to one goal in the period.
ODU posed a threat with just six minutes shaved off the clock in the second half as Jessie Klamut drove a shot from 12-yards out on the left side of the net. Hokanson dove to her left and punched out the shot in midair. Mason broke through for its second goal in the 50th minute of play on a Liz Hodges tally. Paige Babel started the sequence taking a free kick and directing it towards Starr who passed it off to Danielle O'Brien in the near corner. Hodges received O'Brien's cross and blasted it past Lenox for a 2-0 Mason lead.
The Patriots scored their third and final goal of the night when Karina Irizarry scored her first goal of the season. On the far side, Cardoso took a corner kick for Mason and as Lenox jumped to knock it away, Irizarry was in position to convert the rebound for the final score in the 79th minute.
Mason plays a midweek contest at Loyola on Tuesday, September 17 at before returning to George Mason Stadium on Friday, Sept. 20 for a non-conference matchup against VCU. Kickoff is slated for 7 p.m. for both contests.
