WASHINGTON – As the weather warmed up Thursday, so did George Mason's offense.
The Patriots set a program record for goals in a game as they blew past Revolutionary Rival George Washington for a 25-11 victory at the Mount Vernon Athletic Complex in the Atlantic 10 Conference opener for both teams.
With the temperatures spiking into the 60s, junior
Chachi Kelehan, graduate student
Corinne Wessels and sophomore
Hailey Johnson scored four goals apiece. Seniors
Hannah Warpinski and
Lindsey Tangeman and freshman
Erin Donoghue recorded hat tricks as six players scored three goals or more.
Kelehan also had a career-high four assists and tied a personal-best with eight points. Wessels, the league leader in assists, added three assists for an impressive seven-point game.
Mason (7-2, 1-0 A-10) improved to 5-0 in Atlantic 10 openers since joining the league in 2013-14. The Patriots also won their fourth straight against the Colonials (7-2, 0-1) and own a 14-3 advantage in the all-time series.
George Washington scored the game's first two goals and, even after Mason jumped in front early, the Colonials kept it close. GW tied the game one final time at 8-8 with 9:14 left in the half. Then the Patriots took over and left no doubt.
Mason scored six straight goals to end the half, including three in a 52-second span. Kelehan scored just before time expired for a commanding 14-8 lead at halftime. Out of the break, Wessels bookended two goals around a goal by Kelehan to end a 9-0 run by the Patriots.
With nearly 20 minutes remaining, Mason extended the lead to 10 goals to trigger the running clock and pushed the advantage to as many as 14. The Patriots allowed just three goals in the final 39 minutes of the game. Sophomore goalkeeper
Melissa Semkiw made 11 saves on 30 shots faced and grabbed a team-high three ground balls. In the second half, she made seven saves while allowing just three goals.
Nine players scored as senior
Holly Tevis scored twice and freshmen
Christina Romano and
Sammy Ottimo netted the first goals of their career. Johnson, Tangeman, Tevis and Warpinski also dished out assists. Donoghue nabbed nine draw controls and Ottimo grabbed a career-high seven draw controls.
The Patriots wrap up a five-game road trip by heading north to play La Salle at 4:30 p.m. on Saturday in Philadelphia.