COLLEGE PARK, Md. – The George Mason women's soccer team scored three goals in the first half and went on to record its first road win of the season - a 5-2 decision over Maryland at Ludwig Field on Sunday night.

Mason (5-3-0) controlled the pace from the opening kick and recorded the first six shots on goal in the game.  Sophomore Nia Elbeck nearly found the net with a blast from the right side, but just missed wide to the right.  Senior Alex Myers had a chance in the 17th minute and junior Erin Mitchell had a near miss in the 18th minute.

The Patriots broke the ice in the 21st minute, when Myers found the upper right corner with a shot from 15 yards out for her second goal of the season to give Mason a 1-0 lead. Senior Sarah Hardison picked up the lone assist. 

Less than three minutes later, Mitchell increased the advantage to 2-0 when she netted her first goal of the season with a header off a cross in the 23rd minute. Sophomore Rebecca Callison notched the assist.

The Patriots padded the lead in the 28th minute. Junior Kaila Williams sent a corner kick into the box where Hardison slipped past the Maryland defense and scored on a header for a 3-0 lead and the eventual game winner.

“The goals came from different players and in different ways, a cross, a set piece and then a goal in the run of play,” Mason head coach Todd Bramble said.  “I'm really happy with our team's performance and I thought we came out and played with a lot of confidence.”

 It marked the third time this season Mason has scored three goals in a half. The Patriots netted three goals in the second half on Aug. 28 in a 3-0 win over Towson and scored three times in the first half on Sept. 1 in a 4-0 victory over Howard.

Mason outshot Maryland 10-3 in the first half and 15-8 for the game. The Patriots finished the night with a 9-3 advantage in shots on goal.

“We have some players on the team that can really shoot the ball from outside and we saw some good goals tonight on shots from outside the box,” Bramble said.  “It's never easy to win on the road so we are pleased to have gotten that done.”

Maryland (2-5-1) broke the shutout when sophomore Jerena Harmon scored her sixth goal of the season in the 72nd minute. Six minutes later, junior Chelsea Jackson made it a one-goal game when she scored her fifth goal of the season to cut the Mason lead to 3-2.

Mason then scored twice in a span of five minutes to put the game away.

With the Terrapins maintaining momentum in the second half, in the 81st minute, Hardison found space from six yards out and scored her second goal of the night to pad the Mason lead to 4-2, with freshman Hugrun Olafsdottir picking up her third assist of the season.  Hardison, who attempted six shots in the game, has tallied three goals in her last two games.

“It feels good to be scoring again and to get the win on the road especially after the past couple of games,” Hardison said.  “After they scored that second goal we got together and said we have to keep playing our game and play smart.  I think we executed the game plan and handled it well as a team.”

Myers gave Mason more breathing room, scoring her second goal of the game from 25 yards out over the head of the Maryland goalkeeper and into the back of the net in the 85th minute to make the score 5-2. 

“To Maryland's credit, they came out and played a great second half and when they made it 3-2, that's a time where we could have really tensed-up,” said Bramble.  “We responded by getting that fourth goal and that was huge for us.”

The five goals for the Patriots are the most they have scored in a game this season.  Senior goalkeeper Kirsten Glad (5-3-0) earned the win.

The Terps suffered their fourth straight loss and have been outscored by a combined 13-6 in those games.  Maryland has allowed five goals in each of its last two games and the Terps are winless at home with a record of 0-3-1.  The Terrapins had allowed only four goals in their first three home games of the season.

With the win, the Patriots snapped an eight-game regular-season losing streak at Maryland. Mason earned a win at College Park in the regular season for the first time since a 2-1 victory on Oct. 5, 1994 - nearly 22 years ago - and there were quite a few Patriots fans who made the trip to College Park on Sunday to enjoy it.

“We did have a good group out tonight. It's easy for the parents of the local players to get out and that always helps,” Bramble said of the support. “We are certainly grateful for the Mason fans that were able to come out tonight.”

Eight different players have scored a goal for Mason over the first eight games of the season.  Hardison leads the team with four, while Myers is second on the team with three. 

The Patriots are on the road again Friday night when they face UNC-Wilmington at 7 p.m. in Wilmington, N.C.