WOMEN'S SOCCER at VCU

WHEN:  Thursday, Oct. 20, 7:00 p.m. 
WHERE:  Sports Backers Stadium in Richmond, Va.
RECORDS:  George Mason (10-5-0, 4-2-0 A-10); VCU (7-7-1, 3-3-0 A-10)
SERIES RECORD:  The Patriots lead 12-6-6
LAST MEETING:  The Rams defeated the Patriots 2-1 on Oct. 22, 2015 in Fairfax, Va.
LIVE STATS:  Click Here

FAIRFAX, Va. - The George Mason women's soccer team plays the first of three straight games on the road, facing VCU on Thursday with kickoff scheduled for 7 p.m. at Sports Backers Stadium in Richmond, Va.

Mason (10-5-0, 4-2-0 A-10) exploded for four goals in the second half in a 4-0 win over Davidson on Sunday at George Mason Stadium.  Junior Erin Mitchell recorded her first career hat trick, scoring three goals on three shots, while classmate Abby Downey added a goal and two assists against the Wildcats.    

Mitchell's hat trick was the first by a Patriot since Sarah Hardison scored three goals on three shots in a 3-0 win at American on Aug. 23, 2015. 

"I'm sure it's a day that Erin won't forget for a long time," Mason head coach Todd Bramble said.  "She's hard to defend because she is really unpredictable.  She got herself into some good spots and had help from her teammates.  She's been working really hard for us this year and has done a lot of good things that don't get noticed like scoring goals does, but she's definitely deserving of that attention this week."

The Patriots outshot the Wildcats 14-6, including a 9-4 advantage in shots on goal.  Sophomore Rebecca Callison, Mitchell and Downey combined to account for eight of Mason's nine shots on goal in the game.  Senior goalkeeper Kirsten Glad (10-5-0) made four saves to notch her third shutout of the season.

The Patriots reached the double-digit mark in wins for the first time since 2010, when Mason recorded 11 victories.  Mason's 10 victories are one more than it registered last season.  The Patriots have also equaled their conference win total from 2015, when they finished with a 4-5-1 record against Atlantic 10 foes.

The Patriots have had five of their last seven games decided by a single goal, with three of the matches decided in overtime.  Mason is 7-0 this season when scoring the first goal of the game

With the win over Davidson, the Patriots have guaranteed themselves a winning season.

"I wasn't even aware of that and I'm not sure the players were either," Bramble said.  That's a good sign because it shows that we're not satisfied with what we have done so far.  We're pleased with how some of things have unfolded this season, but there's no sense of satisfaction.  We still feel like this team has a lot left to accomplish." 

Mason has scored 28 goals and allowed 22 this season.  With four goals against Davidson, the Patriots netted more than two goals in a game for just the second time in their last 10 contests.

Nine players have scored at least one goal for Mason this season, with seven players recording at least two goals.  Hardison, who led the team with 10 goals in 2015, leads the team with seven goals and 16 points. 

Mitchell is second on the team with five goals and is tied for second in points with 12.  Senior Alex Myers has found the back of the net four times, while sophomore Nia Elbeck and Downey have each netted three goals. 

Four of Hardison's goals have been the first goal of the game for Mason and three have been game-winners.  Both of Downey's goals have been the difference in the game for the Patriots.  Seven players have notched a game-winner for Mason this season.

Senior Nicolette Herdegen and junior Jenna Hamilton have each found the back of the net twice over the first 15 games of the season.  Freshman Hugrun Olafsdottir paces the Patriots with five assists, while junior Kaila Williams, Elbeck and Myers have picked up four assists each. 

In 2015, the Patriots finished with a road record of 2-2-1 in conference play.  Mason is 1-1-0 in its first two A-10 road games this season.  The Patriots edged UMass 2-1 in double overtime on Oct. 6 and dropped a 4-0 decision at Saint Louis on Oct. 9.

At 3-2-0 away from home overall, the Patriots are just one road win away from matching their total from the 2015 season.

"We have proven to be a resilient group and put in some quality performances in road games this year," Bramble said.  "There has only been one half of one game that we felt disappointed about. This has been a good road team.  They've shown maturity and gotten some good results along the way."

Mason and VCU are meeting for the 25th time, with the Patriots leading the all-time series 12-6-6.  Last season, Hardison scored the first goal of the game in the 34th minute, but the Rams erased the 1-0 deficit on the way to a 2-1 win over the Patriots at George Mason Stadium.

Each team finished the game with 13 shots, while VCU had a 6-4 shots-on-goal advantage.  Glad made four saves in the game.

The Patriots are 0-3-2 in their last five visits to VCU.  Mason is searching for its first win on the road against the Rams in 15 years.  The Patriots haven't won a road game over the Rams since a 3-1 victory on Nov. 2, 2001. 

Mason has needed overtime in each of its last three games played in Richmond.  The Patriots last played at VCU on Sept. 29, 2011, a game that ended in a 0-0 double-overtime draw.

SCOUTING THE OPPOSITION

VCU (7-7-1, 3-3-0 A-10) earned its third Atlantic 10 Conference win of the season on Thursday, blanking La Salle 1-0 when freshman Amanda Tredway scored on a header 54 seconds into the second overtime.  The Explorers outshot the Rams 12-11 and each team finished with eight shots on goal in the game. 

Sophomore Audrey Sanderson started the game and played the first half for VCU.  Freshman Ryan Jones took over after the half and recorded four saves to earn the first win of her collegiate career.

The Rams have been involved in four straight games that have been decided by the final score of 1-0.  VCU earned a 1-0 road win at Dayton Oct. 9 and edged La Salle by the same score in its last game, while dropping 1-0 decisions at Fordham Oct. 6 and at George Washington Oct. 13. 

VCU has won three of its last four games at home, posting one-goal victories over La-Salle, Liberty and Davidson.

Defensively, the Rams have surrendered two goals or fewer in 13 of their 15 games this season.  VCU has outscored opponents 9-5 in the first half and 11-9 in the final 45 minutes of regulation, but have been outscored 3-1 in overtime.

Sophomore Julia Suarez leads the Rams with five goals and 13 points.  Sophomore Maddi Santo is second on the team with four goals and 10 points.  In goal, Sanderson (6-6-1) has made 62 saves and allowed just 15 goals over 14 appearances. 

VCU finished with an overall record of 8-9-3 and went 6-2-2 in conference play last season before falling 1-0 to Fordham in the Atlantic 10 Conference Tournament quarterfinals.  The Rams were 4-5-2 at home and 4-3-1 on the road during the 2015 campaign.