Men's Soccer | 9/16/2017 10:34:00 PM
Box Score
FAIRFAX, Va. – Two late goals spelled defeat for the George Mason men's soccer team.
The Patriots suffered a 3-2 overtime loss to West Virginia on Saturday night at George Mason Stadium. Mason led 2-1 with less than two minutes remaining but the Mountaineers scored the equalizer in the 89th minute and then ended the game on a free kick goal just 97 seconds into overtime.
The loss was Mason's first at home after the Patriots had won their first three home matches.
"It hurts when it is at home and you have the game at hand," head coach
Greg Andrulis said. "West Virginia is a good team. There is a reason they are in the top 20 – they never quit. You have to give them credit for keep pushing. But the glaring errors we made at the end are a little bit uncharacteristic… They're a good team. They gave us an awful lot to handle but it should have been better."
The Patriots (3-2-1) unknotted a 1-1 game in the 79th minute. After West Virginia tried to clear a corner kick, Mason kept the ball in opposing territory. Dirks sent a pass deep into the box and senior defender
Alain Sargeant was there to head in a goal to the left side of the net. It was the first career goal for Sargeant and a team-high fifth assist for Dirks.
But when it looked like Mason would hold on for the win, the Mountaineers (4-1-2) – ranked in three of the four national polls – fought back. West Virginia's Sebastian Garcia-Her sent in a cross from the deep right corner across the field and Albert Andres-Llop was there just yards in front of the net to tap in the game-winning goal with 1:39 left in regulation.
The goal forced overtime – Mason's third straight game in extra time. Andres-Llop ended the game in overtime with his second goal of the game. Mason committed a foul just outside the penalty box in the 91st minute. From 20 yards out, Andres-Llop bent a shot around Mason's defensive wall and into the bottom left corner, out of the reach of Mason goalkeeper
Corey Chambers.
"We had a chance to clear the ball they scored on (for the second goal) and failed to do that," Andrulis said. "Unnecessary foul at the top of the 18 that leads to a very good set piece (in overtime). The kid hit it in the bottom corner. We kind of shot ourselves in the foot, to be honest."
The Patriots scored first on a brilliant goal by
Tunde Akinlosotu in the ninth minute of the first half. The sophomore dribbled in from the left side, cut across the box and, from 15 yards out, ripped a shot into the top right corner. It was his second goal of the season.
West Virginia answered less than 10 minutes later. The Mountaineers scored off a free kick as Pascal Derwaritsch headed in a shot just inside the near post to tie the game in the 18th minute.
In a closely contested game, West Virginia held a slight 10-9 shot advantage. Each team mustered three corner kicks and a physical matchup featured 37 fouls (21 on Mason). Chambers made two saves for the Patriots.
Mason wraps up a three-game homestand at 7 p.m. on Wednesday when they welcome East Tennessee State to George Mason Stadium.
