MEN'S SOCCER at Saint Louis
WHEN: Saturday, Sept. 25, 2021 | 8:30 p.m. EST
WHERE: St. Louis, Mo. | Hermann Stadium
RECORDS: Mason (1-5-1, 0-1-0 A-10); Saint Louis (4-0-3, 1-0-0 A-10)
SERIES RECORD: Mason leads, 4-3-1
LAST MEETING: The Billikens defeated the Patriots, 2-0, on Oct. 9, 2019 at Hermann Stadium in St. Louis, Mo.
COVERAGE: WATCH ($) | LIVE STATS
 
FAIRFAX, Va. – The George Mason men's soccer is back on the road for a weekend matchup against No. 16 Saint Louis on Saturday, with the opening kickoff scheduled for 8:30 p.m. (EST) at Hermann Stadium in St. Louis, Mo.
 
The Patriots will face a ranked team for the third time this season.  Mason played No. 11 Penn State to a 1-1 draw on Aug. 26 in University Park, Pa.  The Patriots fell, 2-0, to No. 11 Maryland on Sept. 3 in College Park, Md.
 
Last time out, Mason (1-5-1, 0-1-0 A-10) fell to Wake Forest, 1-0, on Oct. 20 at George Mason Stadium.  Sophomore goalkeeper Jackson Lee made a career-high eight saves in the match.
 
Mason sophomore midfielder Louis Lehr leads the team in goals (2), points (4), shots (13) and shots on goal (7).  Senior defender Jakob Rylander and freshman forward Balint Kocso have each scored one goal for the Patriots.
 
Graduate student forward Miles Montgomery, and freshmen midfielders Luciano Covella and Linus Dahl have each picked up an assist this season.
 
Lee (1-5-1, 0-1-0 A-10, 1.61 GAA, 27 saves, 616 minutes) has started all seven matches for Mason, while sophomore goalkeeper William Schutze (0-0-0, 0.00 GAA, 13 minutes) has made one appearance.
 
The Patriots and Billikens have met eight times, with Mason holding a 4-3-1 advantage in the all-time series.  Mason is 0-2-0 in its two previous visits to St. Louis.
 
The Billikens edged the Patriots, 2-1, on Oct. 15, 2016 in Mason's first trip to the Gateway City.
 
In the last meeting between the two teams, the Billikens scored goals in the 44th and 56th minute to defeat the Patriots, 2-0, on Oct. 9, 2019 at Hermann Stadium.  Saint Louis outshot Mason 18-16, including an 11-3 edge in shots on goal in the match.
 
ABOUT THE PATRIOTS
 
The Patriots have 12 returners and 19 newcomers on the roster under second-year head coach Elmar Bolowich.
 
Returning for the Patriots are senior defender Jakob Rylander, along with junior forward Kent Harrison and defender Jonathan Fawole.  Mason has nine sophomores on the roster with goalkeeper Jackson Lee, defender Noah McGrath, midfielders Daniel Chica, Evan Pedraza, Christopher Schray and Henry Wachsman, and forwards Nicolas Alt, Ishmail Kamara and Louis Lehr.
 
The newcomers include 14 freshmen.  Forwards Balint Kocso, Ryan Mahon and Darri Palsson, and midfielders Jose Alvarado, Luciano Covella, Linus Dahl and Michael Medina.
 
Rookie defenders Jaden Berman, Valentin Brandis, Marcel Cole, Ahmed Mohamed and Josh Morrobel will join the back line in front of freshmen goalkeepers Matthew Bauer and Jake Lee.  
 
The Patriots added graduate student defender Kennedy Davis and forward Miles Montgomery, in addition to junior midfielder Cameron Revels, sophomore goalkeeper William Schutze and sophomore midfielder Mike Oropeza.
 
Mason played two games in August, is in the middle of seven games in September, and will play seven matches in October. 
 
The eight-game Atlantic 10 schedule includes road contests against Saint Joseph's (Sept. 17), Saint Louis (Sept. 25), Fordham (Oct. 9) and George Washington (Oct. 20).  The Patriots will host St. Bonaventure (Oct. 6), VCU (Oct. 16), Davidson (Oct. 23) and La Salle (Oct. 30) in A-10 play.
 
Admission is free for all Patriots' men's soccer home games played at George Mason Stadium.
 
SCOUTING SAINT LOUIS
 
The Billikens have an overall record of 4-0-3, including a mark of 1-0-0 against Atlantic 10 Conference opponents.  Saint Louis is 3-0-2 at home and 1-0-1 on the road.
 
Saint Louis had its match against Central Arkansas last Tuesday postponed due to COVID-19 protocols.
 
Last time out, Saint Louis scored twice in the final eight minutes to defeat Massachusetts, 3-2, Sept. 18 at Hermann Stadium.  Junior forward Chris Bruch, sophomore midfielder Kipp Keller and junior forward Simon Becher (gamewinner) each found the back of the net for the Billikens.
 
At home, Saint Louis has victories over Louisville (2-1, 2OT, Aug. 26), Creighton (4-0, Aug. 29) and Memphis (3-0, Sept. 6).  The Billikens have played to double-overtime home draws against Illinois-Chicago (2-2, Sept. 3) and SIUE (1-1, Sept. 14).
 
Saint Louis has scored 16 goals in seven games, second-most among A-10 teams (Duquesne-17), while the Billikens lead the league in goals per match (2.28) and corners (54).
 
The Billikens have had 12 players score at least one goal through seven matches this season.
 
Becher leads the team in goals (3), assists (5), points (11), shots (21) and shots on goal (10).  Klein is tied the club lead in assists (5), and is second in goals (2), points (9), shots (14) and shots on goal (9).
 
Among A-10 leaders, Becher is tied for the lead in assists (5), ranks third in points (11), fourth in shots (21) and is seventh in shots on goal (10).  John Klein is tied for the league lead in assists (5) and ranks fifth in points (9).
 
Sophomore goalkeeper Patrick Schulte (4-0-3, 0.89 GAA) has started all seven games for the Billikens.
 
CORNER KICK
 
The Patriots have a record of 4-3-1 all-time against the Billikens, including a mark of 0-2-0 in St. Louis.  Six of the eight meetings between the two teams have been decided by one goal or less.
 
Mason and Saint Louis have met twice in the Atlantic 10 Championships.
 
The Patriots blanked the Billikens, 1-0, on Nov. 17, 2013 to claim the A-10 title and advance to the NCAA tournament.
 
In the 2018 Atlantic 10 Championship quarterfinals, the third-seeded Patriots scored in the 107th minute in double-overtime to down the sixth-seeded Billikens, 1-0, on Nov. 11, 2018 at George Mason Stadium.