FAIRFAX, Va. – The George Mason women's soccer team began Atlantic 10 Conference play with a 1-0 win over St. Bonaventure on a rainy Thursday at George Mason Stadium.

Mason (7-3-0) controlled the pace for most of the first half before senior Sarah Hardison scored on a header in the 40th minute to give the Patriots a 1-0 advantage.  Freshman Hugrun Olafsdottir set up the goal with a perfect cross from the left side and senior Alex Myers also picked up an assist.

“It was a great cross and I tried to get it on goal and it worked out,” Hardison said.  “St. Bonaventure really came to play today and I tried to do my best to execute on the play.”

Olafsdottir has three assists in her last four games and Myers has recorded two goals and two assists over the last three games for the Patriots.

Hardison, who scored 10 goals in 2015, leads the team with five goals this season.  Three of her five goals have been the first goal of the game for the Patriots.

Mason outshot St. Bonaventure 14-5 in the first half and 9-5 in the second half.  Overall, the Patriots outshot the Bonnies 23-10 including a 7-4 edge in shots on goal.  The 23 shots were a season high for the Patriots.

“We just tried to play in their penalty area and wanted to capitalize on any mistakes,” Mason head coach Todd Bramble said.  “We thought the biggest factor was going to be rain and field conditions, but it turned out to be the wind.  We scored a good goal, got a shutout and are 1-0 in the conference, we'll take it.”

The Patriots, playing for the first time in 13 days, extended their winning streak to three games overall.  Mason has outshot their opponents by a combined 51-26 during the winning streak.

“This game was a bit of a mystery coming off such a long break,” Bramble said.  “The Bonnies have some good players in the middle of the field.  It made sense for us to try to get the ball out wide tonight and attack some favorable matchups.”

St. Bonaventure (3-6-1) generated chances late in the second half in search of the equalizer on the wet field, but senior goalkeeper Kirsten Glad kept the net empty.  Glad made two of her four saves on the night in the final 16 minutes of the game to record her second shutout of the season. 

The Bonnies have lost all five of their road games this season by a combined score of 10-1.  The last four of St. Bonaventure's five road losses have been shutouts.

The Patriots defeated the Bonnies to begin A-10 play for the second straight season.  Last year, Hardison tallied two goals and Glad made seven saves in a 5-0 victory against St. Bonaventure in Olean, N.Y. 

After finishing the 2015 campaign with a 4-4 record at home, Mason improved to 5-2 at George Mason Stadium this season.  The Patriots have scored 13 goals at home while allowing 10.

The Patriots are back in action at George Mason Stadium on Sunday, Oct. 2 against Dayton.