FAIRFAX, Va. – Captain Ryan Mingachos scored twice, the defense pitched its fifth shutout and the George Mason men's soccer team knocked off one of the best teams in the country.

The Patriots used two second-half goals from Mingachos to collect a 2-0 victory over Rhode Island on Wednesday night in the regular-season finale at George Mason Stadium. 

With the win, Mason tied for third in the Atlantic 10 with Rhode Island, which entered the game with a national RPI of 19. The Patriots own the head-to-head tiebreaker over the Rams (12-4, 5-3 A-10) and received the No. 3 seed in the A-10 Men's Soccer Championship.

The Patriots (7-7, 5-3) will host Saint Louis in a first-round matchup at 2 p.m. on Sunday at George Mason Stadium. The winner advances to the semifinals, which will be held on the campus Saint Louis on Nov. 9. The Patriots and Billikens (6-3-7, 3-1-4) did not meet in the regular season.

"I'm very proud of the guys to be third in the conference," head coach Greg Andrulis said. "To get the number of wins that we did and grind it out... It is an up-and-down season but we've been good the last four or five games and we need to keep it going. The momentum we gained with back-to-back wins at Davidson and at home tonight should help us and carry us a little bit... We're excited to be playing at home and hopefully we can get a good crowd out to cheer the boys on." 

The third-place tie is Mason's highest finish in the A-10 since it placed second in its inaugural season in 2013. The five A-10 wins are also tied for their most in program history, matching the 2013 team. The No. 3 seed is also their highest since 2013. This will also mark the first time the Patriots have hosted a A-10 conference tournament game.

URI, which was receiving votes in the United Soccer Coaches Poll, played 65 minutes with just 10 players. The Rams' top scorer, Dominik Richter, received a red card in the 26th minute and was ejected from the game. 

The teams headed into halftime in a scoreless tie. Mingachos didn't take long to break it.

In the 55th minute, the junior received a pass from Tunde Akinlosotu and ripped off a low-lining shot from about 30 yards away and through traffic. The ball soared into the bottom left corner, well out of reach of URI goalkeeper Roger Penske. 

He then recorded the third multi-goal game of his career just 11 minutes later. Junior Grant Robinson sent a pass to the upper right side of the box to Akinlosotu, who found a cutting Mingachos. He slotted a shot past Penske from six yards away and into the left side of the net.

"It is a big win but we need to keep it in context of they lost their best player," Andrulis said. "So the break went our way. There is a reason they had 12 wins in the season, are nationally ranked. They are a quality team, very well-coached and they're a handful. Tonight the breaks went our way and we were able to take advantage of it and finish a couple good chances in the second half. They are a tough team and I'm sure they're going to do well in the tournament."

Akinlosotu, who leads the team with 14 points, recorded his third and fourth assists of the season. He also fired off three shots, all saved by Penske. Mason senior goalkeeper Clark Gronek faced seven shots and made one save for his fifth career shutout – all coming this season.

Before the game, Mason honored its seven seniors – captain Jordan Edwards, Zion Gray, Gronek, Graydon Hester, Tolu Ibikunle, Tomas Lapnas and Agnar Sverrisson – in a special on-field ceremony with their families for Senior Night.