Box Score FAIRFAX, Va. – The George Mason women's soccer team won its regular season opener 2-1 over Old Dominion on Friday night at George Mason Stadium.
The Patriots took the lead in the 36th minute when senior Alex Myers scored from the right side with sophomore Nia Elbeck picking up the assist. Old Dominion held a 4-3 advantage in shots after the first 45 minutes.
“We wanted to be able to play to our strengths tonight and we thought it would be in our best interest to get behind them as best as we could,” said Mason head coach Todd Bramble. “That's how that first goal came about, we created a turnover and Alex kept battling through.”
The Lady Monarchs evened the score 1-1 in the 73rd minute when freshman Alex Davidson knocked in a rebound for her first collegiate goal. Mason junior Abby Downey wasted no time putting the Patriots back in front 2-1 just 62 seconds later, scoring the eventual game winning goal on a header into the far right corner off of a corner kick by freshman Hugrun Olafsdottir.
“Once we scored the second goal, we were under some heavy pressure,” Bramble said. “Our players came through and passed that test with flying colors.”
Old Dominion outshot Mason 17-3 in the final 45 minutes and finished the night with a 21-6 advantage in shots. Junior Nicolette Herdegen and classmate Kelsey Young, along with Downey, Olafsdottir and Myers each recorded a shot on goal. Senior goalkeeper Kirsten Glad made 10 saves on the night for the Patriots.
The Patriots won their season opener for the first time in six years and it's the first time that the Patriots have recorded a win in their home opener since 2004, when Mason topped the University of Miami 2-0.
The Patriots travel to Charlottesville, Va. to take on No. 4 Virginia on Sunday afternoon at 5 p.m. The Cavaliers opened their season with a 4-0 win at Liberty on Friday night.
SCOUTING VIRGINIA
Mason will take on a Cavaliers team that finished with an overall record of 19-1-3 last season and advanced to the quarterfinals of the NCAA Tournament with wins over Howard, UNC-Wilmington and USC. Virginia went 12-1-1 at home with the lone loss to Notre Dame, 2-1 in double overtime Sept. 15, 2015.
The Cavaliers won their season opener 4-0 at Liberty on Friday. Senior goalkeeper Morgan Stearns tied the school record for wins in a career with 55. Stearns improved her career record to 55-5-4. Virginia scored in the 13th minute to take the lead and never looked back on the way to the victory. The Cavaliers outshot Liberty 21-5 in the game.
The Patriots last met the Cavaliers on Sept. 7, 2012 in Charlottesville, Va. in the Virginia Nike Soccer Classic, with the Cavaliers earning a 3-0 win.
