DAVIDSON, N.C. – George Mason took care of business as an early goal stood up thanks to a defensive gem.

And, then, an hour or so later, the Patriots learned they could celebrate.

After a 1-0 victory over Davidson on Saturday night, Mason found out it had clinched a spot in the Atlantic 10 men's soccer tournament for the first time in four years. Junior Daniel Damiani scored the Patriots' lone goal and senior goalkeeper Clark Gronek made five saves for his fourth career shutout.

Thanks to other results around the league on Saturday, the Patriots (6-7, 4-3 A-10) will be able to breathe easy going into Wednesday night's regular-season finale against Rhode Island at George Mason Stadium. With 12 points, Mason has locked up a spot in the eight-team tournament.

"We have some work left next Wednesday against Rhode Island at home, but we are excited to be back in the conference tournament and look forward to playing next weekend," head coach Greg Andrulis said. "The guys have worked incredibly hard for this opportunity and now we need to keep progressing as a team and take each opponent as they come."

Not only did the men celebrate a tournament berth, but they also erupted in joy on the bus ride back home as they watched the Mason women defeat Massachusetts in double overtime in the first round of the A-10 Championship at George Mason Stadium. The Patriots advance to the semifinals in Dayton next weekend.

"The bus just went crazy as we were watching the women win in double overtime," Andrulis said. "Congrats to the women! A great season for them!"

The Patriots currently sit in a tie for fifth with Saint Louis. Even if Mason lost Wednesday, Duquesne and Saint Joseph's – currently in a tie for ninth – would not be able to leap-frog as they each only have eight points with one game left.

The A-10 tournament begins on Nov. 4 with the first-round games on campus sites as the top four seeds host. The semifinals and championship game will be held on Nov. 9 and 11, respectively, on the campus of Saint Louis.

Damiani scored his third goal of the season in the 26th minute to give Mason all the scoring it would need. Damiani received the ball in the box and dished off a pass to junior captain Ryan Mingachos, who passed it right back to a cutting Damiani. The Alexandria native slid a shot between Davidson goalkeeper Sawyer Gaffney and the far post to give the Patriots the lead.

The defense did the rest. Davidson fired off 15 shots, including 10 in the first half. But Gronek made five stops and the Patriots recorded two team saves. Mingachos cleared a Davidson header off the goal line late in the game and, then, just minutes later, Gronek dove to his right to make a diving stop.

The Wildcats (8-6-2, 4-2-1) entered the game second in the conference and coming off a 2-2 tie against No. 18 Virginia Tech on Tuesday.

"It was a quality team win against a very good Davidson team," Andrulis said. "Top class combination for our goal and a solid defensive effort to get a shutout win on the road. Big thanks to Associate Athletic Director and Pro Football Hall of Famer Darrell Green for an important inspirational message to the team. The 'right now' moment is resonating with the team."

Mason returns home for its final regular-season game against Rhode Island (12-3, 5-2) at 7 p.m. on Wednesday at George Mason Stadium. Seniors  Jordan Edwards, Zion Gray, Clark Gronek, Graydon Hester, Tolu Ibikunle, Tomas Lapnas and Agnar Sverrisson will be honored before the game for Senior Night.