WOMEN'S SOCCER vs. MASSACHUSETTS
WHEN: Thursday, Oct. 12, 7:00 p.m.
WHERE: Fairfax, Va. |
George Mason Stadium |
Weather
RECORDS: Mason (6-8-1, 3-2-1 A-10); UMass (6-6-2, 3-2-1 A-10)
SERIES RECORD: Massachusetts leads, 6-3-3
LAST MEETING: The Patriots defeated the Minutewomen 2-1 in double-overtime on Oct. 6, 2016 in Amherst, Mass.
COVERAGE: A-10 Network ($) |
Live stats
FAIRFAX, Va. – The George Mason women's soccer team looks for its sixth straight home win on Thursday, hosting Massachusetts with the kickoff scheduled for 7 p.m. at George Mason Stadium.
Mason (6-8-1, 3-2-1 A-10) senior
Erin Mitchell scored the only goal of the game in the 55th minute and freshman goalkeeper
Louisa Moser made three saves to record her second shutout of the season, lifting the Patriots to a 1-0 win over VCU on Sunday.
The Patriots have outscored opponents by a combined score of 14-4 with two shutouts during their five-game home winning streak. It's the first time in seven years that Mason has won five home games in a row, last posting five straight home victories from Sept. 6 through Oct. 1, 2010.
Mason begins an important week, facing UMass on Thursday before traveling to Davidson on Sunday. The Patriots and Minutewomen have identical 3-2-1 conference records and 10 points.
"The first thing that jumps out is that our next opponent is a team that we are directly tied with in the standings," Mason head coach
Todd Bramble said. "I think a big goal of every conference team this year with our new tournament format is finishing in the top four. That allows you to host a quarterfinal game and that's the position we're in right now. This is going to be a huge Thursday night game for us."
The Patriots are 3-0-0 against A-10 opponents at home this season, with all three victories by a single goal. Mason defeated George Washington 4-3 on Sept. 21, earned a 1-0 overtime win against Richmond on Oct. 1 and blanked VCU 1-0 last Sunday.
"It's been a really fun season here at home," Bramble said. "Even though we didn't win some of the games in the non-conference schedule, we were playing some big-name opponents. I think our fans should feel good about the teams that came through here and the performance of our team. This has been a team that's been really fun to watch and performed well at home."
Junior forward
Emily Littell is tied for the team lead in goals (3) and paces the Patriots in assists (6) and points (12), all career-highs. She is tied for second in the conference in assists (6).
Junior forward
Rebecca Callison is tied for the team lead with a career-high three goals and tied for third on the squad with a career-best seven points, while freshman
Amanda Nhek is second on the team in assists (4) and points (8). Nhek's four assists are tied for fourth in the Atlantic 10.
Mitchell, who is also tied for the team lead in goals (3), ranks fourth in the Atlantic 10 in shots (40). She leads Mason in game-winning goals (2). Freshman midfielder
Kayla Hamric is tied for fifth in the A-10 in shots (37).
The Patriots are tied for fourth in the Atlantic 10 in goals (22), second in shots (239) and third in shots per game (15.9). Mason has taken the second-most corner kicks in the conference (105).
Mason has had 13 players record a goal and 17 players register at least one point through 15 games, while five different players have scored a game-winning goal.
Moser (11 games/926 minutes) has a 1.65 goals against average and has registered 35 saves. Junior goalkeeper
Morgan Symmers (6 games/480 minutes) has a 1.69 goals against average and has recorded 12 saves.
"As a goalkeeper, you have to have a really short memory and leave your mistakes behind," said Bramble. "Louisa has done a good job of not letting any bad results carry over from game-to-game."
Last season, Mason defeated UMass 2-1 in double-overtime on Oct. 6, 2016 at Rudd Field in Amherst, Mass.
Emily Littell scored the game-winner with just over three minutes remaining in the contest.
SCOUTING MASSACHUSETTS
Massachusetts has an overall record of 6-6-2. The Minutewomen are 4-6-1 at home and 1-0-1 on the road.
Last time out, UMass allowed three goals in the first half and fell to La Salle 6-2 on Sunday at Rudd Field in Amherst, Mass. Sophomores Sarah Beaulieu and Rebeca Frisk each scored a goal for the Minutewomen.
The Minutewomen have a record of 5-2-1 over their last eight games and have won three of their last four matches overall.
The Minutewomen played their first 10 games of the season at home, with Thursday's game at Mason just the third road game that the Minutewomen have played. UMass earned a 3-0 win at St. Bonaventure on Sept. 28 and a 0-0 double-overtime draw at VCU on Oct. 1.
Junior forward Erin Doster leads the Minutewomen in goals (5) and points (11). She is tied for the fifth-most goals scored in the Atlantic 10. Freshman forward Kelly Marra is tied for second in the Atlantic 10 in game-winning goals (3).
Freshman midfielder Jenny Hipp leads UMass in assists (4), shots (35), shots on goal (13) and ranks second on the team in points (8).
Senior goalkeeper Cassidy Babin (14 games/1267 minutes) ranks fourth in the A-10 with 71 saves and has a 1.49 goals against average.
CORNER KICK
The Patriots have won their first three home games against Atlantic 10 opponents this season, with all three victories by a single goal. Mason defeated George Washington 4-3 on Sept. 21, earned a 1-0 overtime win against Richmond on Oct. 1 and blanked VCU 1-0 last Sunday.
