Men's Soccer | 9/22/2017 3:42:00 PM

WHAT: George Mason men's soccer at Longwood
WHEN: 7 p.m., Saturday, Sept. 23
WHERE: Athletics Complex, Farmville, Va.
SERIES RECORD: Mason leads 5-0-1
LAST MEETING: Mason tied Longwood 1-1 on Sept. 3, 2016 in Fairfax, Va.
RECORDS: George Mason (4-2-1, 0-0 Atlantic 10); Longwood (0-5-1, 0-0 Big South)
LIVE VIDEO: Click Here
LIVE STATS: Click Here

FAIRFAX, Va. – With Atlantic 10 Conference play looming, the George Mason men's soccer team hits the road for one final non-conference test.

The Patriots play Longwood at 7 p.m. on Saturday in Farmville, Virginia. Mason (4-2-1) will be looking for its third win in four games and is coming off a 3-1 home victory over East Tennessee State on Wednesday.

Longwood (0-5-1) is still searching for its first win. The Lancers have lost five straight and have been shut out four times. They most recently lost 1-0 to William & Mary in overtime on Wednesday. Mason leads the all-time series 5-0-1, with the lone tie coming last season with a 1-1 draw at George Mason Stadium.  

The Patriots bounced back on Wednesday after suffering a tough 2-1 loss to West Virginia last Saturday. Prior to the matchup against ETSU, Mason had allowed a goal in the final 10 minutes of regulation in each of its previous four games. In each game, all four late goals either tied the game or turned out to be the game winner.

The Patriots made sure there would not be a fifth straight occurrence. Tied 1-1 with ETSU, sophomore Ryan Mingachos booted a shot into the right side of the net in the 88th minute for his third game-winning goal, which is tied for the second-most in Division I. Off a pass from Henning Dirks, senior Conlan Kemmerer set up the goal by serving the ball into a crowded box, where Mingachos settled it with his chest and soared it past the keeper.

Sophomore Tomas Lapnas, making his first start of the season, made an incredible leaping save just a couple minutes later to preserve the one-goal lead. Mingachos then put the icing on the cake when, as he was dribbling out the clock, slipped a pass to Dirks, who scored just inside the near post with one second remaining.

It capped off a career night for Dirks, who scored twice and had an assist for a five-point game. The senior captain from Germany currently leads the country with 2.57 points a game. His 18 total points are second-most in the nation. His team-high six assists are tied for fourth-most in Division I and his team-best six goals are tied for 11th highest. He has notched a point in all seven games this season and scored a goal in five.

As a team, the Patriots are tied for ninth in the country with 2.43 goals a game. Their 17 goals are tied for seventh-most in the nation and are already four more than they had all of last season. Mason has scored at least two goals in six games this season. On three occasions, they've scored three or more.

After Saturday's non-conference finale at Longwood, Mason will return to Fairfax to open up A-10 play. The Patriots host defending A-10 Tournament champ Fordham at 7 p.m. on Sept. 30 in the Game of the Week. All Mason students with a valid Mason student ID will receive free Hard Times wings and a Wingstock '17 T-shirt (while supplies last).