WOMEN'S SOCCER at Howard
WHEN: Sunday, Aug. 27, 7:00 p.m.
WHERE: Washington, D.C.
RECORDS: Mason (0-2-0, 0-0-0 A-10); Howard (0-3-0, 0-0-0 SWAC)
SERIES RECORD: Mason leads 6-0-0
LAST MEETING: The Patriots defeated the Bison 4-0 on Sept. 1, 2016 in Fairfax, Va.
FAIRFAX, Va. – The George Mason women's soccer team is back on the road this weekend, facing Howard on Sunday with the kickoff scheduled for 7 p.m. at Greene Stadium in Washington, D.C.
Mason (0-2-0) looks for its first win of the season after falling 4-1 at Old Dominion and 1-0 to Tennessee opening weekend. Senior
Erin Mitchell leads the team with seven shots, while freshman
Kayla Hamric is second on the squad with five.
"We learned a lot about ourselves opening weekend," Mason head coach
Todd Bramble said. "The Old Dominion game was basically even, but we fell short in defending corner kicks and set pieces. To the player's credit, it was the focus of an area that we needed to improve on against Tennessee and we were really good in that area against a good SEC opponent last Sunday."
Freshmen
Jisca Adigo,
Írunn Aradottir,
Shannon Lee,
Alexis Weeren along with Hamric made their debuts for Mason opening weekend.
The Patriots are playing just one game in a span of 11 days, the only time this season that Mason won't play twice during a week.
"This came at a good time for us," Bramble said. "We're feeling pretty good as a staff that we were able to find the right balance and took full advantage of the time we had. We got the players some much needed rest and we've had some quality training sessions in preparation for facing Howard on Sunday night."
The Patriots went 5-3-0 on the road during the 2016 season, allowing a total of six goals combined in the five victories.
Mason is 6-0-0 in the all-time series against Howard, outscoring the Bison by a combined score of 24-2.
The Patriots defeated the Bison 4-0 at George Mason Stadium last season, scoring all four goals in the first half of play.
Jenna Hamilton scored twice and
Abby Downey and
Nia Elbeck each found the back of the net in the victory. Mason finished with a 19-4 advantage in shots and 11-0 in shots on goal in the game. The Patriots were one of only three teams to shutout the Bison during the 2016 season.
Mason visits Howard for the first time in five years. The Patriots defeated the Bison 3-1 in their last trip to Greene Stadium on Sept. 4, 2012.
SCOUTING HOWARD
Howard (0-3-0) dropped a 4-1 decision to Mount St. Mary's on Friday after falling 3-0 at Radford and 1-0 at Longwood in the first weekend of the season. The Bison finished the 2016 season with a 13-4-3 overall record and claimed the Southwestern Athletic Conference regular season title with a 9-0-1 record.
Entering their fourth season in the SWAC, Howard was picked to finish first in the 2017 Southwestern Athletic Conference poll. The Bison led the conference with seven All-SWAC preseason selections. Senior Gabrielle Emilian was named Preseason Goaltender of the Year and junior Kendall Hamilton received Preseason Defensive Player of the Year honors.
Emilian was the 2016 SWAC Goalkeeper of the Year after finishing the season 10th in the nation with a 0.47 goals against average and recording seven shutouts, while Hamilton was the 2016 SWAC Defensive Player of the Year after leading a defense that allowed just 1.05 goals per game.
The Bison scored 37 goals and surrendered 22 over 21 games last season. Howard allowed one goal or less in seven of its nine home games and recorded three shutouts at Greene Stadium.
"It's an important opportunity for us," said Bramble. "We have a lot of respect for Howard. With Brent being a Mason alum and from the work that he does with one of the very good clubs in the area, we know that the team is going to be really well coached and we know their record at home as well. It's going to be a really big challenge for our players and it's a big challenge for our staff to make sure they are well prepared."
CORNER KICK
Howard head coach Brent Leiba, a 2001 Mason graduate, enters his ninth season guiding the Bison. Leiba played for the Patriots from 1997-2000 and was a four-year letterwinner while also receiving academic honors.
