Box Score RICHMOND, Va. – Junior Erin Mitchell scored two goals, while sophomore Emily Littell scored a goal and added an assist, leading the Patriots to a 4-1 win over VCU on Thursday at Sports Backers Field in Richmond, Va.
Mason (11-5-0, 5-2-0 A-10) scored three times in a span of 16 minutes in the first half to take a commanding lead over the Rams.
The Patriots started the scoring in the 16th minute of play. On a corner kick, junior Kaila Williamsnetted her first goal of the season when the ball slipped through the hands of VCU freshman goalkeeper Ryan Jones to give Mason a 1-0 lead.
"Kaila has been consistently delivering corner kicks into the penalty area for us," Mason head coach Todd Bramble said. "This one had some bend on it and the ball just curved right into the upper corner and I'm sure she's happy with the end result."
The Patriots improved to 8-0 this season when scoring the first goal of the game. It's just the second time this season that Mason has scored the first goal on the road.
Mason added to the advantage two minutes later when Mitchell's shot from 18 yards out glanced off the hands of Jones and into the back of the net to make the score 2-0. Littell picked up her fourth assist of the season on the goal.
The Patriots tacked on another goal in the 32nd minute, as Littell took a perfect cross by sophomore Nia Elbeck from the endline and scored into a wide open net to put Mason up 3-0. Elbeck is tied for the team lead with five assists on the season.
VCU had allowed a total of five goals in the first half over its first 15 games of the season. The Rams have allowed two or fewer goals in a game 13 times.
Three goals in the first 45 minutes are the most by the Patriots in a road game since they scored three times in a span of seven minutes in the first half against Maryland on Sept. 11 in a 5-2 win at College Park.
"The game as a whole was probably closer than the score indicates," Bramble said. "In the first half everything we touched around the goal turned to gold. We capitalized on almost every opportunity we had. Both of our wide players, Erin on the left and Nia on the right, continue to cause teams problems and we took advantage of that again."
Mason has held opponents scoreless in the first 45 minutes in 12 of 16 games this season.
The Patriots have been scoring goals in bunches. Mason tallied three goals in a span of 11 minutes in the second half in a win over Davidson, and netted three goals in 16 minutes on Thursday at VCU.
VCU (7-8-1, 3-4-0 A-10) cut the lead to 3-1 with a goal in the 63rd minute, but that's as close as the Rams would get.
Mitchell tallied her second goal of the night in the 88th minute, a blast that sailed over the goalkeeper and into the upper corner of the net for the game's final goal in Mason's 4-1 victory. Sophomore Rebecca Callison picked up her third assist of the season on the goal.
Mitchell, who recorded her first career hat trick against Davidson on Sunday, has scored five times over the last two games and is now tied for the team lead with seven goals and 16 points. She is also tied for the team lead with three game-winning goals.
The Patriots have had 10 different players score at least one goal this season, with seven players notching at least two goals.
Mason recorded a win at VCU for the first time in 15 years. The Patriots hadn't won a road game against the Rams since a 3-1 victory on Nov. 2, 2001. Thursday was the 25th meeting between the two teams, with the Patriots leading the all-time series 13-6-6.
"That's great news and we don't take that lightly," Bramble said of the conference road win. "Their coaching staff does a great job and it's an in-state rivalry. We have a lot of respect for their program."
The Patriots have scored four goals in each of their last two games after being blanked in two straight. It's the fourth time this season that Mason has found the back of the net at least four times in a match.
VCU had won three of its last four home games, allowing a total of five goals. The four goals are the most that the Rams have surrendered in a game this season. VCU was defeated at James Madison 3-2 on Sept. 16 and fell 3-1 to Duquesne on Oct. 2.
The Rams outshot the Patriots 17-14, but Mason finished with a 9-7 shots on goal advantage. Senior goalkeeper Kirsten Glad (11-5-0) made six saves in the win.
"We knew with the lead we had at halftime that they were going to come out and throw everything at us, and they did," said Bramble. "They scored a goal and had quite a bit of pressure on us at times. The resilience of our group with Kirsten leading the way back there, making saves, allows our team to not panic and she had a very good game for us tonight."
Mason's 11 victories are the most for the program since posting 11 during the 2010 season.
The Patriots return to action on Sunday, Oct. 23, when they travel to George Washington with kickoff scheduled for 1 p.m.
