Box score
FAIRFAX, Va. – Freshman forward
Emma van der Vorst scored her fourth game-winner of the season, while seniors
Nia Elbeck and
Emily Littell each found the back of the net to lead the Patriots to a 3-0 victory over Duquesne on Friday at George Mason Stadium.
Mason (10-5-0, 5-2-0 A-10, 15 Pts.) took the lead over Duquesne (5-8-1, 1-5-1 A-10, 4 Pts.) with a pair of goals under six minutes apart midway through the first half.
Freshman forward
Emma van der Vorst scored with a header from eight yards out in the 18th minute to put the Patriots in front 1-0. Senior midfielder
Rebecca Callison set up the play with a perfect cross through a strong wind from the left side.
"I feel good about our performance today," Mason head coach
Todd Bramble said. "Having to deal with a tough end-to-end blowing wind, I thought we took full advantage of it in the first half. It was a good team performance and we got to play a lot of players today. Everyone who stepped on the field for us today really made a good contribution."
The Patriots scored the first goal for the 10th straight match.
The Atlantic 10 leader in goals (11) and points (25), van der Vorst has scored in three straight and 11 of the last 12 games. She has netted Mason's first goal of the game seven times this season.
In the 23rd minute, Mason senior forward
Nia Elbeck tallied her second goal of the season, scoring on a rebound from five yards out to increase the advantage to 2-0.
Callison's initial shot was stopped, but Elbeck collected the rebound and sent a rising shot just under the crossbar for the goal.
Mason senior captain
Emily Littell added to the lead in the 52nd minute, scoring her fourth goal of the season inside the right post from 10 yards out. Graduate student
Gabriela Rivera sent the ball ahead to Littell to notch her fourth assist of the season.
"We are getting close to double-digit goal scorers and I think that speaks to the balance that we like to attack with," Bramble said. "We can play direct if we need to, we can attack from wide areas, we can attack up the middle and we're good on set pieces as well. All three goals today were different."
The Patriots improved to 6-2-0 at home, including a mark of 3-1-0 against A-10 opponents at George Mason Stadium.
Mason defeated Duquesne for the first time in program history. The Patriots dropped the first four meetings between the two teams, all by a single goal.
Each team finished with 14 shots, while Mason had a 10-9 advantage in shots on goal. The Patriots had five corner kicks and Duquesne had four in the game.
Mason redshirt freshman
Olivia Reese led all players with three shots, while seven players registered a shot on goal for the Patriots. Sophomore midfielder
Kayla Hamric, Littell and van der Vorst each recorded two shots on goal.
Mason redshirt junior goalkeeper
Morgan Symmers (8-3-0, 1.36) made four saves, including three in the second half, to earn her eighth win of the season.
Mason senior goalkeeper
Tara McQueen made her NCAA debut. She entered the match in the second half, making four saves in 14 minutes of action, including a spectacular diving stop on a shot from 10 yards out.
"I give Morgan a lot of credit for the way she stepped in there today," said Bramble. "We've got a good core of goalkeepers. If we have somebody go down, we're confident any of our goalkeepers can step in and play. Tara did a really good job and it was good to be able to get her in there. She had to make a couple of saves and deal with a couple of crosses. I'm happy with Tara's performance."
Duquesne freshman goalkeeper Janie Romer also made her collegiate debut, making seven saves in the game.
Mason has won four of its last five games, with each of the four victories by shutout.
The Patriots are back in action at Richmond on Sunday, with the kickoff scheduled for 1 p.m. at Robins Stadium in Richmond, Va.
