FAIRFAX, Va. – For nearly 80 minutes, the George Mason and Longwood men's soccer teams played to a stalemate.
Then a 30-second flurry put the Patriots in control and on their way to their first shutout of the season.
Goals by
Tunde Akinlosotu and
Colin Brezniak late in the second half helped Mason pull away for a 2-0 victory over Longwood on Wednesday night at George Mason Stadium. Goalkeeper
Colin Brezniak, making just his third career start, also made two saves for the first shutout of his career.
The start of the game was delayed 75 minutes due to lightning in the area. Longwood (3-5) possessed the ball more in the first half, outshooting Mason 8-4 by halftime.
All six of Mason's shots on goal came in the second half. And the Patriots (2-3) finally broke through in the 80th minute.
On a clear attempt by the Lancers back in their own half, the ball deflected off Brezniak's back and bounced near Akinlosotu about 25 yards from the goal. The junior from Bowie, Md., gathered the ball around a Longwood defender, dribbled twice to his left and maneuvered around a sliding Longwood goalkeeper Miguel Bayma near the top of the box. Akinlosotu moved to his left and then buried a shot into an empty net from 15 yards out for his third goal of the season.
Just 30 seconds later, the Patriots netted an insurance goal.
Brezniak slid a pass to a driving Akinlosotu. The forward dribbled into the box, drew two defenders and then stopped near the top of the box. He waited a couple seconds for Brezniak to make his run and then made a nifty pass with the back of his foot. Brezniak, a sophomore from Hanover, Pa., raced to get his left foot on the ball and right through Bayma's legs and into the net for his third goal of the season.
Mason, which improved to 7-0-1 all-time against Longwood, outshot the Lancers 12-5 in the second half. They also accumulated seven corner kicks, including five in the first half.
The Patriots continue a three-game homestand against Appalachian State at 7 p.m. on Saturday at George Mason Stadium.
