FAIRFAX, Va. – With just three weeks remaining in the regular season, the George Mason women's lacrosse team heads into a split weekend looking to separate from the pack.
The Patriots hit the road to play La Salle at 6 p.m. on Friday in Philadelphia, before returning home to host Duquesne at 12 p.m. on Sunday at George Mason Stadium.
Mason sits in a three-way tie for second place in the Atlantic 10 Conference standings along with Duquesne and Saint Joseph's. All three teams have just one conference loss – to No. 19 Massachusetts.
With a pair of wins this weekend, the Patriots (8-3, 3-1) could take a step closer to securing one of the top two seeds for the six-team A-10 Tournament, which runs May 5-8 in Pittsburgh.
Mason heads to Philadelphia having won six of seven. After suffering their first league loss last Friday to UMass, the Patriots bounced back on Sunday with an 8-7 victory over Davidson. Freshman Chachi Kelehan scored five goals in the two games and was named the A-10 Rookie of the Week for the second time.
La Salle (4-7, 2-2) has won two of three but is coming off an 11-5 loss to Saint Joseph's. Senior Katelyn Fay leads the Explorers with 32 goals, tied for second-most in the A-10.
This will be the teams' third meeting, with the teams splitting the first two contests. The Explorers won the first contest in 2014 before the Patriots knotted the series last year with a 12-9 victory in Fairfax.
Senior captain Erin Anderson is the lone Patriot on the roster from Pennsylvania, as she hails from Philly suburb West Chester. In addition, sophomores Kira Greer (Flemington, N.J.) and Holly Tevis (Mantau, N.J.) will be within 60 miles of their hometowns.
On Sunday, the Patriots will welcome in Duquesne (5-6, 3-1). The Dukes have won three of four and are led by Jill Vacanti (30 goals) and reigning A-10 Defensive Player of the Week Jenna Bishop (95 saves). This also will be the third meeting between the teams. Duquesne leads the series 2-0, including a 13-3 victory last year in the regular-season finale.
