WOMEN'S SOCCER vs. Old Dominion
WHEN: Friday, August 19, 7 p.m.
WHERE: George Mason Stadium
RECORDS: George Mason (0-0); Old Dominion (0-0)
2015 RECORDS: Mason (9-9-2, 4-5-1 A-10); Old Dominion (8-12-1, 5-4-1 Conference USA)
SERIES RECORD: Mason leads 15-7-2
LAST MEETING: Old Dominion defeated Mason 3-1, Sept. 18, 2015 at Norfolk, Va.
LIVE STATS: Click Here
FAIRFAX, Va. – The George Mason women's soccer team opens the 2016 regular season at 7 p.m. on Friday against Old Dominion at George Mason Stadium.
The Patriots return 19 letterwinners and nine starters from 2015. Mason senior defender Sarah Hardison led the Patriots with 10 goals and 22 points last season. Also back for 2016 is senior midfielder Alex Myers, who led the team with seven assists and finished second with five goals.
Myers has been voted by the league's head coaches to the 2016 Atlantic 10 Preseason All-Conference Team. Hardison picked up VaSID All-State honors last season and was one of four Patriots to earn Atlantic 10 honors. Hardison was joined by Myers on the All-Conference Second Team, while freshman Nia Elbeck was named to the All-Rookie Team and Abby Downey earned a spot on the A-10 All-Academic Team.
The Patriots scored 26 goals and allowed just 24 in 2015. In goal, senior Kirsten Glad started all 20 games for Mason last season, posting five shutouts and a 1.16 goals against average.
“We think that we will be able to put a lineup out to start games for us that has a lot of experience and has played a lot of games,” head coach Todd Bramble said. “It's great to have a home opener on a Friday night. The community has done a great job of supporting our program. We have new uniforms, a new playing surface and there's nothing like the excitement of the opening game and we're really excited to have it at home this year.”
Bramble begins his second season at Mason after guiding the Patriots to an overall record of 9-9-2 in 2015. In his first season with the Patriots in 2015, Bramble more than doubled Mason's win record from 2014 and returned the Patriots to the Atlantic 10 Conference Tournament. Mason earned the No. 8 seed in the A-10 Championship and opened play facing top-seeded and regular-season champ George Washington. The Colonials entered the tournament undefeated in conference play with a perfect 10-0 record. Having fallen to GW in the regular season in double overtime, Mason avenged the loss by knocking off the Colonials 1-0 to advance to the semifinals.
The Patriots went 4-4 at George Mason Stadium last season, winning four straight games at home Sept. 6 to Oct. 11. Mason will play five of the first six matches at home to begin the 2016 campaign.
Mason blanked ODU 3-0 Sept. 14, 2013 in the Lady Monarchs last visit to George Mason Stadium. The teams have met 24 times, with the Patriots leading the all-time series 15-7-2.
The Patriots have had nearly three weeks of practice in preparation for the season opener and played one exhibition game, a scoreless draw at Radford last Wednesday.
“It's always good to get a shutout on the road,” said Bramble. “Defensively I thought we were solid and it's always good just to get that first game out of the way and it gives you some specific things to work on.”
SCOUTING THE OPPOSITION
The Lady Monarchs finished with a 1-0-1 record in exhibition play. Old Dominion defeated VMI in its first exhibition game 2-1 on Aug. 10 when sophomore Kira Laurento found the back of the net in the 90th minute. In their last game, the Lady Monarchs erased a 1-0 halftime deficit and played to a 2-2 draw at Towson on Aug. 13, with freshmen Keri Vornadore and Talia Tapper each scoring goals.
Angie Hind enters her third season as the head coach of the Lady Monarchs after guiding the team to an 8-12-1 mark last season. Old Dominion boasts 18 returners and seven newcomers on the roster and has been picked to finish fifth in the Conference USA Preseason Poll.
The Lady Monarchs are led by sophomore Iris Achterhof, who paced Old Dominion with eight goals, five assists and 21 points last season in 21 games started. She was named the 2015 C-USA Freshman of the Year, tabbed to the C-USA All-Conference Second Team and chosen as the VaSID Rookie of the Year.
Junior Madison Hogan scored six goals and added three assists for 15 points in 2015. Senior Grace Haverly and junior Deirdre Bradley tied for third on the team with three goals each last season. Senior goalkeeper Erin Kinz started and finished all 21 games for ODU and finished with three shutouts and a 1.48 goals against average.
Old Dominion lost its first six road games last season and finished with a record of 3-8 away from home. The Lady Monarchs scored just eight goals in their 11 road games in 2015 and were shutout in seven of their eight road losses.
The Lady Monarchs and the Patriots met last season in Norfolk, Va., with Old Dominion taking a 3-1 decision on Sept. 18, 2015. Achterhof recorded a hat trick in the second half, scoring three goals in a span of 20:21. Emma Star scored the lone goal for Mason. The Patriots outshot the Lady Monarchs 11-8 in the game. Glad finished with three saves in goal for Mason while Kinz made three saves for Old Dominion.
TICKETS
Tickets for George Mason soccer matches are $6 for adults, $4 for youth (12 and under). Tickets can be purchased at the entrance to George Mason Stadium beginning one hour before the start of the game. Please note, cash is the only method of payment accepted at George Mason Stadium.
Discounts are available for groups of 15 or more. Group tickets must be purchased in advance. For more information on group tickets, call the Athletic Ticket Office at 703-993-3270.
DIRECTIONS TO GEORGE MASON STADIUM
To access George Mason Stadium, please use Ox Road (Rt. 123) and turn onto University Drive toward the Field House. Please note, there is no access to George Mason Stadium via the newly-opened Campus Drive. Parking will be free around the Field House.
