Box Score *Mason clinched the third seed in the Atlantic 10 Championship
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Emily Littell,
Amanda Nhek and
Erin Mitchell scored goals 3:56 apart in the 2nd half
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Erin Mitchell netted her third game-winning goal of the season
KINGSTON, R.I. – The George Mason women's soccer team erased a two-goal deficit, scoring three unanswered goals late in the second half in a 3-2 win against Rhode Island in the regular season finale Sunday afternoon at the URI Soccer Complex in Kingston, R.I.
With the win, Mason clinched the third seed in the 2017 Atlantic 10 Women's Soccer Championship. The Patriots will host six-seeded VCU this Sunday.
Mason (9-8-2, 6-2-2 A-10) fell behind in the 19th minute when Rhode Island (4-13-0, 1-9-0 A-10) senior forward Taylor Ross scored her team-leading fourth goal of the season, converting on a header to put the Rams in front 1-0.
Mason freshman
Jisca Adigo nearly scored the equalizer in the 37th minute, but hit the crossbar and the Rams led by a goal at the half.
Late in the second half, Ross tallied her second goal of the game in the 78th minute, scoring on a rebound to increase the Rams advantage to 2-0.
The Patriots began their furious comeback with less than seven minutes to play in regulation.
Mason junior forward
Emily Littell cut the Rams lead to 2-1 in the 84th minute, converting a penalty kick for her fourth goal of the season. Littell has scored three of her four goals this season on penalty kicks.
Two minutes later, freshman forward
Amanda Nhek netted the equalizer for the Patriots, scoring her third goal of the season from inside the box to tie the game 2-2. Nhek has recorded all three of her goals and three of her five assists against Atlantic 10 opponents.
Mason senior forward
Erin Mitchell, who played just 13 minutes in the game, completed the comeback when she found the back of the net with a header off a service from senior defender
Kelsey Young in the 88th minute to put the Patriots in front to stay, 3-2.
The Patriots scored the three unanswered goals in a span of 3:56 with under seven minutes remaining in regulation.
"In the second half, in particular from the 45th minute on, we were really creating a lot of momentum and had them under a lot of pressure," Mason head coach
Todd Bramble said. "Our players never stopped believing and they know how to handle that situation. The composure and execution was excellent during that time period."
Mitchell, who is tied for the team lead with four goals, leads Mason with three game-winners. She has recorded two goals and two assists over the last five contests.
Senior
Abby Downey led all players with three shots on goal in the game. Littell finished with four shots and two on goal. She is tied for the team lead in goals (4) and leads the squad in assists (6) and points (14).
Mason freshman goalkeeper
Louisa Moser (8-4-2) made two saves to record the win, while Rhode Island freshman goalkeeper Montana Ligman made six saves in the game.
The Patriots finished with an 18-8 advantage in shots, including 10-4 in shots on goal. Mason had nine corner kicks, while Rhode Island didn't have a corner kick in the game.
The Patriots clinched the third seed in the Atlantic 10 Championship with a program-record 20 points in A-10 play. Mason will host six-seeded VCU on Sunday at 1 p.m. in the opening round.
"That's one of the goals that we set for ourselves that the team was able to accomplish," said Bramble. "Finishing in the top four was something that we were really focusing on this year. At this stage, every game that we are fortunate enough to play in is going to be against a good opponent. There's no place like home and we're happy that we get the opportunity to play one more time in front of our fans and the students at George Mason."
Mason went 6-2-2 overall in Atlantic 10 play and 4-0-1 at home against conference opponents during the regular season.
The third-seeded Patriots are back in action next weekend in the opening round of the Atlantic 10 Championship, hosting six-seeded VCU at 1 p.m. on Sunday, Oct. 29 at George Mason Stadium.
