WOMEN'S SOCCER at Old Dominion
WHEN:  Friday, Aug. 18, 7:00 p.m.
WHERE:  Norfolk, Va.
2016 RECORDS:  Mason (13-7-1, 6-3-1 A-10); Old Dominion (7-12-0, 5-5-0 Conference USA)
SERIES RECORD:  Mason leads 16-7-2
LAST MEETING:  The Patriots defeated Old Dominion 2-1 on Aug. 19, 2016 in Fairfax, Va.
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WOMEN'S SOCCER vs. TENNESSEE
WHEN:  Sunday, Aug. 20, 2:00 p.m.
WHERE:  Fairfax, Va.
2016 RECORDS:  Mason (13-7-1, 6-3-1 A-10), Tennessee (11-9-1, 5-5-1 SEC)
SERIES RECORD:  Mason leads 2-0-0
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TENNESSEE GAME PROMOTION
The first 100 fans in attendance when the Patriots face Tennessee on Sunday, Aug. 20 will receive a Mason bobblehead.

FAIRFAX, Va. – The George Mason women's soccer team opens the 2017 regular season this weekend, facing Old Dominion on Friday with a 7 p.m. kickoff at the ODU Soccer Complex before taking on Tennessee in the home opener on Sunday at 2 p.m. at George Mason Stadium.

"This is the type of schedule we would like to play every year," head coach Todd Bramble said.  "Those are the type of teams that our players want to challenge themselves against.  It's going to be great for the fans to have teams like Tennessee, Wake Forest, Rutgers and Maryland coming to play us at home.  We're really excited about that part of the schedule."

The Patriots return 17 letterwinners and seven starters from the 2016 season.  Mason senior forward Erin Mitchell led the team with 19 points and tied for first on the squad with eight goals last season.  Senior Abby Downey tied for second on the team with five goals, while senior Jenna Hamilton and junior Nia Elbeck each scored three goals.

Mason added 11 newcomers to the roster.

"It's a big group, so we've been doing a lot of teaching," said Bramble.  "We've probably done the most work on our team defensive concepts up to this point.  We're trying to get everybody to calm down, because it's a really tough time of the year and everybody wants to make a good impression individually."

The Patriots scored 39 goals and allowed 35 in 2016. Mason had 10 players score at least one goal last season, with seven players scoring at least two goals.

Mason's 13 victories last season were the most for the program since the Patriots finished with a 14-4-1 record in 2009.  The Patriots finished with a 7-3-1 record at George Mason Stadium, tied for the fifth-most home wins in program history.

The Patriots will be playing their season opener on the road for the seventh time in the last 10 years.

"I'm really happy with the work that the team's been putting in," Bramble said.  "The level of effort and concentration that they have been bringing to the training field each day has been good.  That starts with having strong leaders on the team who set the tone.  It's a good group."

SCOUTING OLD DOMINION

The Monarchs finished the 2016 season with a 7-12-0 overall record and posted a 5-5-0 mark in Conference USA.

Mason defeated Old Dominion 2-1 in the regular season opener last season at George Mason Stadium.  Alex Myers found the back of the net in the 36th minute to give the Patriots a 1-0 lead and Downey netted the eventual game-winning goal on a header in the 74th minute, leading Mason to a victory in the season opener for the first time in six years.

Old Dominion was picked to finish sixth in the Conference USA preseason poll, while senior defender Jackie Stroud was selected to the conference all-preseason team.  Stroud was the Monarchs' Defensive Player of the Year and earned VaSID All-State honors last season.

The Monarchs scored 21 goals and surrendered 29 over 19 games during the 2016 campaign.  Junior Iris Achterhof led the team with 11 points and tied for first on the squad with four goals last season. 

In goal, senior goalkeeper Krista Moiso started all 19 games for Old Dominion and recorded five of her seven wins by shutout.

"It's a really good opening game for us," Bramble said of Friday's matchup.  "They have good fan support and it will be an electric environment for our players to play in.  They are talented and a really well-coached team."

SCOUTING TENNESSEE

The Patriots will be facing the Volunteers for just the third time in program history.  Mason is 2-0-0 all-time against Tennessee, with a 3-1 win on Sept. 17, 1999 and a 1-0 victory on Sept. 15, 2000.

Tennessee finished the 2016 season with an overall record of 11-9-1 and earned the No. 7 seed in the SEC Tournament after posting 5-5-1 mark in the Southeastern Conference.

The Volunteers were 7-5-0 at home and 3-3-1 on the road last season.  Tennessee blanked Ole Miss 2-0 in the opening round of the tournament before falling 3-1 to second-seeded Auburn in the quarterfinals.

Eight of Tennessee's 11 victories during the season were by shutout.

Junior Rylie O'Keefe, who was named All-SEC, finished second on the team in goals (5), assists (9) and points (19).  Junior goalkeeper Shae Yanez was 7-3-1 with three shutouts in 13 starts during the 2016 campaign.

CORNER KICK

The Patriots went 9-0-1 during the 2016 season when scoring the first goal of the game and were 8-1-0 in games decided by a single tally.