FAIRFAX, Va. – The George Mason women's soccer team reached the Atlantic 10 Conference Tournament for the second time in three seasons and four Patriots earned Atlantic 10 Conference honors at the end of the 2015 season. Making his inaugural debut as a Patriot, first-year head coach Todd Bramble posted a 9-9-2 overall record in his debut and led Mason to an upset in the first round of the A-10 Tournament.
Mason welcomed back 18 letterwinners from last season and seven starters, but had to blend nine newcomers to the team before the start of the season. The 2015 team faced a slate of eight home contests and 10 matches on the road.
Led by a group of four seniors, Sydney Mitchell, Keri Sachtleben, Emma Starr and Amanda Stephenson, the Patriots opened the season with three games on the road beginning at East Carolina. Bramble and the Patriots picked up their first win of the season in the second match of the season behind junior Sarah Hardison's hat trick at American – marking her first career hat trick. Hardison's hat trick marked the first for a Patriot since Omolyn Davis scored three goals at William & Mary on October 23, 2009.
Hardison netted her fourth goal of the season with Mason's first goal at UMBC five days later. The Patriots claimed their second victory of the season in double-overtime fashion against the Retrievers. Trailing 2-1, Erin Mitchell scored with two seconds left in regulation to force overtime and Abby Downey converted a corner kick in the 106th minute for the overtime win.
Following the three-game road stretch, Mason opened its 2015 home slate hosting its first in-season tournament since 2009 welcoming UNCW, UMBC and Appalachian State for the Patriot Invitational during Labor Day weekend. The Patriots went 1-1 in the tournament, picking up a 1-0 win over App State on Hardison's header in the 83rd minute. Kirsten Glad, Emma Starr and Hardison were named to the All-Tournament Team.
Mason opened a new series against Illinois State, welcoming the Redbirds to Fairfax on September 11. Behind goals from transfer Alex Myers and Emma Starr, the Patriots scored their fourth win of the season and third shutout, improving to 4-2 on the season.
The Patriots spent nearly a month on the road to follow, embarking on a four-match road trip to close out non-conference play and open A-10 league play at St. Bonaventure. Facing the Bonnies for the first-ever time in regular season action, Mason dominated the A-10 foe, shutting out SBU 5-0 with two goals each from Hardison and Jenna Hamilton and a tally from Myers to even the all-time series 1-1. The five goals from Mason marked the first time a Patriot team scored five goals since a 7-0 victory over VMI in 2010.
A two-match homestand returned the Patriots to Fairfax as Mason improved to 3-1 in league play with wins over UMass and Saint Louis in the stretch. Freshman Nia Elbeck lifted the Patriots past Davidson 2-1 in a road match as Mason split a two-match road swing, 1-1, at Duquesne and at Davidson.
Returning from Davidson with a 4-2 A-10 record and sitting tied for third in the league, Mason held the home team advantage in the next three contests, but faced three of the top squads in the league, including the top two programs, VCU and George Washington. Hardison gave Mason the early lead against the Rams, but VCU scored two goals within 16 minutes to capture the 2-1 win before Mason welcomed undefeated GW to George Mason Stadium three days later. The Patriots took the top-ranked Colonials into double-overtime, but dropped a heartbreaker when GW scored in the 107th minute for the double-overtime win.
As the season began to come to a close and several teams vying for a spot in the A-10 Tournament, Mason welcomed La Salle which sat just ahead of the Patriots in league standings. The Patriots dropped the decision to the Explorers and tied Fordham in the last regular season match, clinching a spot in the tournament.
The Patriots traveled back to Davidson as the #8-seed in the tournament to face top-seeded George Washington in the opening round. GW entered the tournament after going 10-0 in the regular season and riding a 13-match win streak. A goal from Abby Downey in the 76th minute would be all the Patriots needed to knock off the #1-seed to advance to the semifinals to face #5-seeded Fordham. Mason ended their season falling to Fordham on penalty kicks in the semifinals.
Leading the team with 10 goals on the season and two assists for 22 points, Sarah Hardison picked up Atlantic 10 All-Conference Second Team honors along with Alex Myers. Freshman Nia Elbeck earned All-Rookie Team accolades, while Abby Downey was named to the All-Academic Team.
While a season to remember with so many highlights on the field, Mason also celebrated the 30th Anniversary of the 1985 George Mason Women's Soccer National Championship team during the season.
