RICHMOND, Va. – Daniel Hoffman sank the winning penalty kick and Michael Butts came up with two huge PK saves to advance the George Mason men's soccer team to the semifinals of the Atlantic 10 Tournament after a 4-2 win on penalty kicks on Thursday.
Mason moves to 11-3-5 with the PK victory and will advance to the second round of the Atlantic 10 Tournament after its win over Davidson. The Patriots will face Rhode Island on Friday, who defeated Dayton 1-0 in the first game of the tournament.
The Patriots and Wildcats limited each other offensively in the first half with only one recorded shot on goal. Davidson had the first threat of the match when a header off a set piece by Max Riehemann went wide of the net in the sixth minute. They threatened again in the 15th minute when a header off a set piece sailed wide before Mason had its first shot of the half, a Henning Dirks blast that sailed wide right in the 18th minute.
Matt Tucker recorded the half's only shot on goal for either team, a slow liner right into the hands of Davidson keeper Matt Pacifici with less than five minutes to play in the first period. Davidson spent a plethora of time on offense however Mason was able to turn away any potential opportunity.
Offense stayed consistent in the second half where a total of six shots were taken. Davidson's Maxi Pragnell ran a ball inside the box in the 67th minute however keeper Michael Butts came out of net to turn it away. The Wildcats landed their first shot on goal with a 35 yard free kick than landed just short of Butts.
Mason pressured late in the half with several chances, the best coming in the 77th minute. Daniel Hoffman scorched a corner kick to the far side of the net where Colton Amidon put a head on the ball, sending it right into the body of Pacifici who turned it away. The Patriots ended regulation with six shots, two on goal.
Mason pressed early in the first overtime period with a great chance from Dirks. Timi Mulgrew fed Dirks the ball just outside the goalie box where his hard shot was turned away by Pacifici. Mulgrew came up with the best chance in the second overtime, running down the field and sailing a kick towards the net where a diving Pacifici came up with the save after Mulgrew's blast from 15 yards out. Matt Tucker had a collected the rebound and sent a shot that was also saved.
With the game tied at zero after 110 minutes, penalty kicks from Mulgrew, Jannik Eckenrode, Conlan Kemmerer and Hoffman were enough to give Mason the victory while Butts made two diving saves, allowing Davidson to sink ony two of its four kicks.
The Patriots face top-seeded Rhode Island in the semifinal round of the Atlantic 10 Tournament on Friday, November 14 at 5 p.m. The match can be watched live online on the Atlantic 10 site and on the Atlantic 10 mobile app.
