FAIRFAX, Va. – The 14th ranked University of Virginia men's soccer team used a goal in the 56th minute off a corner kick to defeat the George Mason men's soccer team 1-0 in front of a crowd of 3,000 on Tuesday at George Mason Stadium.

Mason falls in its second consecutive contest for a record of 7-2-2 while the Cavaliers win their second straight to improve to 7-3-1.

The Patriots played the Cavaliers to an even first half, with both sides recording four shots on goal and keepers Steffen Kraus and Calle Brown each collecting four saves. Jannik Eckenrode drew the first shot of the contest in the third minute, a rocket from 20 yards outs right into the arms of Brown. Zach Herstek and Timi Mulgrew each landed shots on goal three minutes apart later in the half however Brown kept both out of the net. Each team had a total of five shots in the period.

Virginia was able to muster in its goal off the leftovers of a corner kick attempt to net its lone tally of the contest after emptying four shots in the first 10 minutes of the second half. Scott Thomsen sent his corner attempt to the far side of the net, where it bounced back to Todd Wharton. Wharton sent a shot from the top of the box which deflected off of Eric Bird and in for the score in the 56th minute.

Momentum started to shift Mason's way in the 76th minute when Virginia's Darius Madison was sent off with a red card, giving the Patriots a man advantage for the remainder of the game. Mason however was only able to deliver one shot after the ejection as the Cavaliers were able to clear the ball each time Mason brought it in to attack.

Kraus ended the match with eight total saves with Virginia collecting the shot advantage, 12-8 and the corner kick advantage, 9-2. Seven different Patriots recorded one shot with Mulgrew leading the team shooting two.

Mason begins the conference portion of its schedule on Friday, October 10 when it travels to Dayton, Ohio for a 7 p.m. match with the Flyers.