On November 24, 1985, George Mason women's soccer defeated North Carolina 2-0 to claim the first-ever National Championship at Mason. As the 30th Anniversary of the championship approaches, George Mason will honor the achievement this weekend with Alumni Weekend, welcoming back all women's soccer alumni and members of the 1985 team. The team will host festivities on Saturday and the Patriot Club will host an Alumnae Picnic on Sunday prior to Mason's kickoff against George Washington. For more information, please click here. Below are highlights of the 1985 NCAA Tournament.
*Mason entered the NCAA Tournament ranked No. 3 in the final regular season poll by ISAA released on November 5. Massachusetts sat atop the rankings in the No. 1 spot, followed by North Carolina at No. 2. William & Mary was ranked No. 10.
*Mason opened the NCAA Tournament facing No. 10 William & Mary on November 9. The Patriots beat the Tribe 3-2 on penalty kicks. After the teams remained tied at 4-4 following five attempts each, they entered sudden death penalty kicks. Lisa Gmitter was up first for the Patriots. Gmitter's shot was saved, bringing it down to Pam Baughman. In her first season with Mason, junior goalkeeper Kim Maslin saved both Tribe attempts. Baughman's shot was good as Mason won 5-4 on penalty kicks to advance to the quarterfinals to face Cortland State.
*Lisa Gmitter led Mason to victory over No. 5 Cortland State, notching her 13th goal of the season in game-winning fashion with 12 minutes remaining to secure a 1-0 triumph.
*George Mason University hosted the Final Four of the 1985 NCAA Championship.
*First on the pitch for the Patriots was No. 1 Massachusetts. UMass women's soccer entered the Final Four undefeated, standing at 16-0-0 and had conceded only two goals on the season. After UMass defeated North Carolina in the regular season, 2-0, to move to 10-0-0, it moved into the No. 1 national ranking. After a bye in the first NCAA round, UMass defeated Boston College 3-0 to reach the semifinals against George Mason.
*On November 23, UMass and Mason played through a scoreless first period, standing at 0-0 at halftime. The Patriots exploded in the second half, rattling off three goals in a 25 minute span to claim a 3-0 victory. Mason saw goals from Chris Tomek, Cathy Moon and Dana Hedin to lead them into the championship match.
*No. 2 North Carolina earned a bye in the first round and defeated N.C. State and Colorado College to reach Mason in the finals. The Tar Heels boasted an 18-1-1 record coming into the final match having lost only to Massachusetts and tying George Mason to open the season. North Carolina entered the NCAA Tournament as the three-time defending National Champion.
*Mason reaching the Final Four marked the second time in program history for the Patriots. The first advancement to the Final Four occurred in 1983. Mason fell in the Championship match to North Carolina, 4-0.
*On Nov. 24, in front of a record-crowd of 4,500 people and millions on national television on an ESPN broadcast, No. 3 George Mason met No. 2 North Carolina for the National Championship.
*Three-time All-American Pam Baughman scored Mason's first goal in the 30th minute on a 10-yard blast to the lower left corner to put Mason up 1-0. The Patriots held the lead for over 50 minutes of playing time until Lisa Gmitter cushioned Mason's lead at 85:56 with a 15-yard shot off a Baughman pass for a 2-0 victory.
*The 1985 NCAA Women's Soccer Championship All-Tournament Team featured several members from George Mason. Goalkeeper Kim Maslin, forward Lisa Gmitter and defender Kim Crabbe were all placed on the team. Betsy Drambour was tabbed the Defensive MVP, while Pam Baughman was named the Overall MVP.
*Guided by head coach Hank Leung, Mason wrapped up the season with an 18-2-1 record and claimed George Mason's first National Championship.
