FAIRFAX, Va. – The George Mason women's soccer team scored three goals in the second half in a 3-0 win over Towson on Sunday night at George Mason Stadium.

The game was scoreless after the first half.  Mason (3-1-0) held a 6-4 edge in shots over Towson (0-3-1), with each team recording one shot on goal in the first 45 minutes of play.   

The Patriots took the lead when sophomore Rebecca Callison opened the scoring in her Mason debut, finding the lower left side of the net from 10 yards out to make the score 1-0 in the 54th minute of play.   The goal would stand up as the game-winner.

“Everyone has been welcoming and that's the reason I wanted to play for George Mason,” Callison said.  “I was very nervous jumping in, but I just tried to do my job the best I could.”

Mason increased the lead to 2-0 in the 63rd minute when junior Nicolette Herdegen scored on a shot from inside the box.  Herdegen has scored a goal in each of the last two games.  Sophomore Emily Littell and classmate Nia Elbeck each had an assist on the tally.

Elbeck recorded her first goal of the season, scoring the final goal of the night on a shot from 12 yards out in the 78th minute.  Elbeck has a goal and two assists in the last two games and leads the team with three assists on the season.

The Patriots have scored six of their seven goals over the first four games in the second half.

“Towson's not an easy team to play against,” Mason head coach Todd Bramble said.  “I'm really proud of the players and how they stayed focused.  In the second half we came to life and I thought tonight was our best performance.”

Mason and Towson have met a dozen times since 2002, with the Patriots leading the all-time series with an 11-1-0 record.  The Patriots once again used the home field advantage against the Tigers.  Mason improved to 8-0-0 against Towson in games played in Fairfax, Va., outscoring the Tigers by a combined score of 21-4, with six of the eight wins by shutout.

“Defending is a team concept and there is pride in getting shutouts,” Bramble said.  “To score three goals, win the game and get a shutout it feels like a complete performance.”

The Patriots outshot the Tigers 15-8 for the game, with Mason holding a 5-2 edge in shots on goal.  Mason senior goalkeeper Kirsten Glad faced two shots, stopping both for her first shutout of the season. 

“I'm really proud of how I played tonight,” Glad said.  “We are going to try to carry the momentum into Thursday and Sunday.”

Glad hasn't allowed a goal in the last 128:04 of play over the last two games.

Mason finished the night with five corner kicks, while Towson had one.  The Tigers had 14 fouls in the game and the Patriots had seven.

The Patriots are back in action at George Mason Stadium on Thursday night at 7 p.m. against Howard.