WOMEN'S SOCCER at La Salle
WHEN: Thursday, Oct. 27, 7:00 p.m.
WHERE: McCarthy Stadium in Philadelphia, Pa.
RECORDS: George Mason (12-5-0, 6-2-0 A-10); La Salle (3-9-4, 1-3-4 A-10)
SERIES RECORD: La Salle leads 3-2-0
LAST MEETING: The Explorers defeated the Patriots 3-0 on Oct. 29, 2015 in Fairfax, Va.
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FAIRFAX, Va. - The George Mason women's soccer team plays its final road game of the regular season, facing La Salle on Thursday with kickoff scheduled for 7 p.m. at McCarthy Stadium in Philadelphia, Pa.
Mason (12-5-0, 6-2-0 A-10) won its third straight game on Sunday. Senior Sarah Hardison scored the only goal of the match in the 32nd minute to lead the Patriots to a 1-0 road victory over George Washington. Junior Kaila Williams and freshman Hugrun Olafsdottir picked up assists on the goal.
The Patriots outshot the Colonials 11-10, while George Washington finished the game with a 4-2 shots on goal advantage. Hardison recorded the only two shots on goal for the Patriots. Senior goalkeeper Kirsten Glad (12-5-0, 6-2-0 A-10) made three saves in the first half and one in the second half to record her fourth shutout of the season and first on the road.
"We knew chances were going to be hard to come by in the game because George Washington hadn't surrendered many goal this year," Mason head coach Todd Bramble said. "Our game plan was to create chances by counter-attacking and set plays. We scored off the corner and that's all we needed because the team defended well."
It's the third winning streak of at least three games for the Patriots, who enter Thursday's game against La Salle in second place in the Atlantic 10 Conference with 18 points, four points behind unbeaten Saint Joseph's.
The Patriots have held opponents scoreless in the first 45 minutes in 13 of their 17 games this season.
"Glad is stepping up in big moments in the game and making big saves," said Bramble. "That has a good emotional effect on the team. Even when times get a little hectic, she keeps her composure and is in control of every situation. She's having a great year, playing like a senior and she has been a big contributor to the success our team has had so far."
Mason improved to 9-0 this season when scoring the first goal of the game. The Patriots are 7-1 in games decided by one goal.
Mason's 12 victories this season are the most for the program since the Patriot's finished with a 14-4-1 record in 2009. With a conference record of 6-2-0, the Patriots have more wins against Atlantic 10 foes than in any of their first three years in the conference.
The Patriots have scored 33 goals this season, tied for the second-most in the Atlantic 10. Only Saint Joseph's has scored more goals with 41. Mason has outscored opponents 13-8 in the first half and 18-14 in the second half this season.
The Patriots have had 10 players score at least one goal this season, with seven players scoring at least two goals. Hardison leads the team and ranks eighth in the Atlantic 10 with eight goals. Junior Erin Mitchell is second on the team and ranks ninth in the conference with seven goals. Hardison paced the Patriots with 10 goals during the 2015 season.
Senior Alex Myers has found the back of the net four times, while junior Abby Downey and sophomore Nia Elbeck have each netted three goals.
Five of Hardison's goals have been the first goal of the game for Mason and four have been game-winners. Her four game-winners are tied for second among Atlantic 10 players. Mitchell has scored three game-deciding goals, while Downey has netted two game-winners. Seven players overall have notched a game-winner for Mason this season.
Senior Nicolette Herdegen, junior Jenna Hamilton and sophomore Emily Littell have each found the back of the net twice through 17 games of the season.
Olafsdottir leads the team and ranks fifth in the A-10 with six assists.
"She's making the adjustment to the college game," Bramble said of the freshman defender. "The pace is a little bit higher throughout the course of 90 minutes because of the college substitution rule. It's been a transition, but she's worked hard to get through it and she's added a lot of value to our program. She gives us nice balance on the left side of the field, delivers great crosses into the penalty area and we've scored several goals off of it this year."
Elbeck and Williams are tied for second on the team and seventh in the conference with five assists each.
In 2015, the Patriots finished with a road record of 2-2-1 in conference play. Mason is 3-1-0 on the road this season against conference opponents. The Patriots edged UMass 2-1 in double-overtime on Oct. 6, dropped a 4-0 decision at Saint Louis on Oct. 9, won at VCU 4-1 on Oct. 20 and blanked George Washington 1-0 on Sunday.
At 5-2-0 away from home overall, the Patriots have surpassed their road win total from the 2015 season.
The Patriots and Explorers are meeting for the sixth time, with La Salle leading the all-time series against Mason 3-2-0.
"With all of the quality teams we have played so far, this might be our hardest game of the season because of the circumstances," Bramble said of his team's final road game of the regular season. "They're going to be fighting for their playoff lives. They need points to get into the conference tournament. We, as a staff, are confident that our players will rise to the challenge."
Last season, the Explorers tallied three goals in the first half on the way to a 3-0 win over the Patriots at George Mason Stadium. The Explorers outshot the Patriots 16-15, including a 9-5 shots on goal advantage. Glad made five saves in the contest.
Since joining the Atlantic 10 Conference, the Patriots have lost three straight to the Explorers by a combined score of 12-1. La Salle earned a 5-0 win on Nov. 3, 2013 in Philadelphia, a 4-1 victory on Oct. 24, 2014 on its home turf and a 3-0 win last season in Fairfax, Va.
The Patriots' last win over the Explorers was a 3-2 overtime victory 13 years ago during the 2003 season. Mason recorded its lone win at La Salle 27 years ago, an 8-0 victory on Oct. 21, 1989. The eight-goal margin of victory in that game stands as the third-largest that Mason has ever recorded in a road game in program history (14-0 at East Carolina on Sept. 10, 1995; 10-0 at Iona on Sept. 17, 1989).
SCOUTING THE OPPOSITION
La Salle (3-9-4, 1-3-4 A-10) played to a 0-0 double-overtime draw against Saint Louis on Sunday. The Explorers outshot the Billikens 11-6 in the game and held Saint Louis without a shot on goal over 110 minutes of play.
La Salle won two of its first four games of the season, but the Explorers have just one victory over their last dozen games and are winless in their last seven. La Salle's lone win during the stretch was a 1-0 double-overtime win against UMass.
Defensively, the Explorers have surrendered one goal or less in seven of their last nine games. La Salle has been outscored 12-6 in the first half and 14-10 in the final 45 minutes of regulation.
Six of the Explorers last 10 games have been decided in double-overtime.
Sophomore Maci Bower leads the Explorers with four goals, while senior Deja Davis is second on the team with three goals. Junior Kristin Haugstad leads La Salle with four assists. The Explorers have been limited to one goal of less in 12 of their 16 games this season.
In goal, junior Larisa Zambelli (3-9-4, 1-3-4 A-10) has made 75 saves and allowed 26 goals over 16 appearances. She has recorded four shutouts this season, including three in the last eight games.
La Salle finished with an overall record of 9-9-3 and went 5-4-1 in conference play last season, including a 3-0 win over the Patriots at George Mason Stadium. La Salle defeated Saint Joseph's 2-1 in the quarterfinals of the Atlantic 10 Tournament before falling to Duquesne 2-1 in the second round in Davidson, N.C. The Explorers were 4-2-2 at home and 4-6-1 on the road during the 2015 campaign.
