MEN'S SOCCER vs. #2 VCU
Atlantic 10 Men's Soccer Championship Quarterfinal
WHEN: Saturday, Nov. 9 | 7 p.m.
WHERE: SportsBackers Stadium | Richmond, Va.
RECORDS: Mason (4-12-1, 3-5-0 A-10); VCU (7-7-2, 6-1-1 A-10)
LAST MEETING: The Rams defeated the Patriots, 1-0, on Nov. 2 at George Mason Stadium.
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FAIRFAX, Va. – The George Mason men's soccer team enters the 2019 Atlantic 10 Soccer Championship as the seventh seed and will face second-seeded VCU in a quarterfinal matchup on Saturday. The opening kick is scheduled for 7 p.m. at SportsBackers Stadium in Richmond, Va.
Mason (4-12-1, 3-5-0 A-10) finished the regular season with nine points in conference play and earned the seventh seed based on the league's multi-team tiebreaker.
The Patriots are playing in the conference tournament for the second straight year and fourth time in program history. Mason boasts a 5-2-2 record all-time and the 2013 championship it its inaugural season in the league.
VCU earned the second seed with 19 points in conference play, finishing two points behind regular-season champion Rhode Island.
The Patriots and Rams will meet for the second time in seven days.
Mason fell to VCU, 1-0, in the final regular season game of the year last Saturday at George Mason Stadium. Rams junior forward Biska Biyombo scored his fifth goal of the season in the 83rd minute of play.
The Mason/VCU winner will move on to play the winner of the Dayton/La Salle match in the second semifinal scheduled for 4 p.m. on Nov. 15 at Jack Coffey Field in The Bronx, N.Y.
Last season, Mason entered the tournament as the third seed and recorded a pair of double-overtime victories to advance to the championship match.
The Patriots defeated sixth-seed Saint Louis, 1-0, in the quarterfinals at George Mason Stadium.
Pablo Pertusa Martinez scored the game-winner in the 108th minute.
In the semifinals against seventh-seeded Dayton,
Grant Robinson netted the golden goal in the 102nd minute in a 1-0 win over the Flyers to lift Mason into the championship match.
Senior forward
Tunde Akinlosotu led the Patriots during the 2019 campaign in assists (5) and points (10), while his three goals were second-most of the club. He scored all three of his goals at George Mason Stadium.
Among Atlantic 10 leaders, Akinlosotu tied for third in assists (5) and was ninth in points (11) during the regular season.
Senior midfielder
Ryan Mingachos led the team in goals (4) and was second in points (10). He finished fourth in the A-10 in shots (55) and ranked third in the league in shots on goal (25).
Sophomore goalkeeper
Brison Moorhead (3-7-1, 3-5-0 A-10) has started 11 games and has a 1.72 goals against average. He made 54 saves and allowed 20 goals during the regular season.
Mason and VCU have met 34 times, with the Rams holding a 15-10-9 record in the all-time series against the Patriots.
SCOUTING VCU
The Rams finished the regular season with an overall record of 7-7-2, including a mark of 6-1-1 against Atlantic 10 opponents. VCU went 4-3-1 at home and 3-4-1 on the road.
Junior forward Biska Biyombo leads the team in goals (5), assists (4) and points (14). He tied for the fifth-most goals in the conference (5) and ranked eighth in the league in points (14).
Sophomore midfielder Fiorre Mane and senior defender Ryo Shimazaki tied for second on the team in goals (3) and points (7) during the regular season.
In goal, senior Mario Sequeira (6-6-1/1.19) has played 16 games with 60 saves and 20 goals against.
The Rams have appeared in the Atlantic 10 title game three times in the last four years (2015, 2016, 2017) and claimed the conference regular-season title in 2018.
CORNER KICK
Eight of the Atlantic 10 Conference's 13 teams qualified for the tournament, with the top four seeds earning a home game.
The winners in the quarterfinal round will advance to the A-10 Championship semifinal hosted by Fordham University Nov. 15-17 at Jack Coffey Field.
For complete coverage of the 2019 Atlantic 10 Men's Soccer Championship, log on to Atlantic10.com.
