Men's Soccer | 8/31/2017 1:55:00 PM

WHAT: No. 22/RV George Mason men's soccer at University at Albany
WHEN: 7 p.m., Friday, Sept. 1
WHERE: Casey Stadium, Albany, N.Y.
SERIES RECORD: Albany leads 1-0
LAST MEETING: Albany defeated Mason 2-0 on Sept. 5, 2015 in Fairfax, Va.
RECORDS: George Mason (2-0, 0-0 Atlantic 10); Albany (1-1, 0-0 America East)
LIVE VIDEO: Click Here
LIVE STATS: Click Here

WHAT: No. 22/RV George Mason men's soccer at Siena
WHEN: 1 p.m., Sunday, Sept. 3
WHERE: Siena Turf Field, Loudonville, N.Y.
SERIES RECORD: Siena leads 1-0
LAST MEETING: Siena defeated Mason 2-1 in overtime on Sept. 24, 2016 in Fairfax, Va.
RECORDS: George Mason (2-0, 0-0 Atlantic 10); Siena (0-1-1, 0-0 MAAC)
LIVE STATS: Click Here

FAIRFAX, Va. – The George Mason men's soccer team hits the road for the first time in 2017 and will do so after garnering national attention.

The Patriots, who were ranked 22nd in this week's Soccer America Daily national rankings, head to the capital of New York for a pair of road tests this weekend. Mason plays the University at Albany at 7 p.m. on Friday and then steps just outside of Albany to play Siena at 1 p.m. on Sunday in Loudonville, New York.

Mason (2-0) jumped into the Soccer America Daily national rankings after defeating then-No. 19 Coastal Carolina 2-1 and American 3-0 last weekend in Fairfax. Both teams had won their conference titles last year and Coastal Carolina reached the NCAA Tournament. In addition, the Patriots received three votes in the United Soccer Coaches poll.

The weekend sweep marked the first time the Patriots had started a season 2-0 since 2014. That season was also the last time Mason had been ranked prior to this week.

"The 2-0 start to our season has been mostly because of the hard work and determination shown from all the players," senior captain Alain Sargeant said. "There has been significant improvement all around the field, from being clinical in front of the goal offensively and being hard to break down defensively."

Four players have scored for the Patriots so far, led by two from sophomore Ryan Mingachos. The midfielder netted his first two career goals against American. Senior captain Henning Dirks assisted on both goals and the forward leads the team with four points (one goal, two assists). Sophomores Tunde Akinlosotu and Jackson Miles have also scored.

The defense has allowed just one goal in 180 minutes on 34 shots fired off by opponents. The Patriots registered their first shutout of the season on Sunday as they thwarted 14 shots by American. Freshman goalkeeper Corey Chambers made four saves for the second straight game and was named the Atlantic 10 Rookie and Defensive Player of the Week on Monday.

The Wexford, Ireland native became the first freshman goalkeeper to start his first collegiate game since Steffen Kraus in 2013. Chambers also dished out his first collegiate assist, booting a kick more than 50 yards against Coastal Carolina to set up the game-winning goal by Dirks in the second half on Friday.

Albany returns 16 letterwinners and eight starters from a 2016 team that won 13 games, captured the America East Tournament championship, received a national seed for the NCAA Tournament and reached the Sweet 16 before falling to Clemson. Albany finished the season with an impressive RPI of 15.

This year, the Great Danes are 1-1, having lost their season opener to Marist 3-2, before routing Atlantic 10 foe Rhode Island 4-0 on Monday at home. Carlos Clark and Owen Fingar lead Albany with two goals apiece and Daniel Krutzen has scored and dished out a team-high three assists. Mason is 0-1 all-time against the Great Danes, who won the only previous meeting 2-0 in 2015 in Fairfax.

Siena (0-1-1) finished third in the Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference last year and posted a 8-8-5 record overall. The Saints are led by nine seniors, including all-conference defender Milorad Sobot.

Siena returns home for the first time this season after starting the season in California. The Saints scored just one goal in two games, falling 2-1 in overtime to Cal State Northridge, before battling to a tie against UC Santa Barbara on Sunday.

Siena leads the all-time series 1-0 against Mason. The teams met for the first time last year in Fairfax, with the Saints rallying late to win 2-1 in overtime.

"I think the best way for us to handle the pressure of being nationally ranked on the road is to not lose sight of the goals we want to accomplish and to keep playing the way we have," Sargeant said.