MEN'S SOCCER at Rhode Island
WHEN: Saturday, Oct. 15, 2022 | 7 p.m.
WHERE: URI Soccer Complex | Kingston, R.I.
RECORDS: Mason (2-8-1, 1-3-1 A-10); Rhode Island (5-1-5, 1-1-2 A-10)
SERIES RECORD: Rhode Island leads, 5-4-0
LAST MEETING:  The Rams defeated the Patriots in the championship game of the Atlantic 10 Soccer Championships, 2-0, on Nov. 11, 2018 at Hermann Stadium in Saint Louis, Mo.
TICKET INFORMATION: Men's Soccer will require tickets for admission. Tickets are $10 and will be available for purchase online in advance of the game. Groups of 10 or more can receive a discounted rate of $5 per ticket and group tickets must be purchased in advance. Those interested in a group outing are encouraged to fill out a Group Information Request form and will be contacted by a George Mason Ticket Representative!
LIVE STATS: Click here FAIRFAX, Va. – The George Mason men's soccer team returns to action against Rhode Island on Saturday, with the opening kick scheduled for 7 p.m. at the URI Soccer Complex in Kingston, R.I.

Last time out, the Patriots (2-8-1, 1-3-1 A-10) fell to league-leading Duquesne, 1-0, on Saturday at George Mason Stadium.

After a scoreless first half, Duquesne netted the lone goal of the match in the 53rd minute of play.  The Dukes outshot the Patriots, 15-8, including an 8-4 advantage in shots on goal.

Mason senior goalkeeper Jake Langley made a season-high seven saves in the match, including five in the first half.

The Patriots have been shutout in each of their last five matches and look to snap a goalless drought of 498:39 over the last six games.  Freshman midfielder Zach Eichelberger scored Mason's last goal in the 42nd minute against Wake Forest on Sept. 20 in Winston-Salem, N.C.

Graduate student forward Noah Raphael leads the club in goals (2) and points (4) in 11 games played with three starts.  Sophomore forward Balint Kocso leads the team in shots (14) and is tied for the lead in shots on goal (6) in 11 games with nine starts. 

Graduate student forward Ariel Aguas, junior midfielders Louis Lehr and Henry Wachsman, sophomore defender Ahmed Mohamed, Kocso and Eichelberger have each netted one goal on the season.

Langley (2-8-1, 1-3-1 A-10, 2.20 GAA, 990 MIN, 1 SO) has started every match for the Patriots with 43 saves and 24 goals against.  Sophomore goalkeeper Matthew Bauer (9 MIN) has appeared in one match.

Mason and Rhode Island have met nine times, with the Rams holding a 5-4-0 edge in the all-time series. 

The Patriots have won all four matches played at George Mason Stadium by final scores of 1-0 (Sept. 8, 2000), 2-1 (Nov. 1, 2013), 2-1 (Nov. 7, 2015) and 2-0 (Oct. 31, 2018).

The Patriots will look for their first road win in the all-time series against the Rams.  Mason has dropped the three games played at the URI Soccer Complex in Kingston, R.I. by final scores of 2-0 (Sept. 23, 2001), 3-1 (Oct. 17, 2014) and 3-1 (Oct. 29, 2016).

Mason and Rhode Island have met twice in the Atlantic 10 Tournament. 

Rhode Island defeated Mason, 2-0, in the title game of the 2018 A-10 Soccer Championship Tournament on Nov. 11, 2018 at Hermann Stadium in St Louis, Mo.  In Mason's second year in the league, the Rams edged the Patriots, 2-1, in the A-10 Tournament semifinals on Nov. 14, 2014 in Richmond, Va.   

Saturday's match will be the first meeting between the two teams in four years. 

ABOUT THE PATRIOTS
 
The Patriots have 20 returners and 13 newcomers on the roster heading into the season under first-year head coach Rich Costanzo (Maryland, '08).

Assistant coaches Noel Orozco (St. Bonaventure, '17) and Michael Callahan (North Carolina, '08) each enter their first year with the Patriots.

Returning seniors from last year's squad are forward Kent Harrison (Newcastle, Australia), midfielder Cameron Revels (Clover, S.C.) and defender Jonathan Fawole (Columbia, Md.).  Returning juniors are forwards Nicolas Alt (Basel, Switzerland) and Ishmail Kamara (Woodbridge, Va.), midfielders Louis Lehr (Dielheim, Germany) and Henry Wachsman (Barrington, Ill.), along with defender Noah McGrath (Melbourne, Australia).

Mason has 11 sophomores on the roster with forwards Balint Kocso (Munich, Germany), Michael Medina (Central Islip, N.Y.), midfielders Jose Alvarado (Alexandria, Va.), and Darri Palsson (Kópavogur, Iceland), defenders Valentin Brandis (Hamburg, Germany), Marcel Cole (Mosley, Va.), Linus Dahl (Königstein im Taunus, Germany), Ahmed Mohamed (Cairo, Egypt), Joshua Morrobel (Burke, Va.) and goalkeepers Matthew Bauer (Mt. Pleasant, S.C.) and Billy Schutze (Wayne, N.J.).

The Patriots added two graduate students, forward Noah Raphael (Calvert County, Md.) and midfielder Ariel Aguas (Quito, Ecuador), in addition to senior goalkeeper Jake Langley (Villanova, Pa.).

The Patriots have 11 freshmen on the roster with midfielders Zach Eichelberger (Baltimore, Md.), Zach Golden and Nicholas Prioli (Houston, Texas), defenders Eric Allen (Columbia, Md.), Jaden Berman (Winchester, Va.), Will Carson (Wheeling, W.Va.), Chase Hutson (Fairfax, Va.), Nathan Montini (Braselton, Ga.), Kunandy Ouattara (Alexandria, Va.) and Christian Xantus (Woodbridge, Va.) and goalkeeper Jack Desroches (Virginia Beach, Va.).

The Green and Gold kicked off the season at Old Dominion on Aug. 26 (1-0, Old Dominion) and American on Sept. 2 (2-1, American) in the first two games of seven non-conference matches.

Mason then played three straight games at George Mason Stadium, the longest homestand of the season.  The Patriots hosted Penn State on Sept. 5 in the home opener (3-1, Nittany Lions), Radford on Sept. 10 (3-1, Patriots) and played their first conference match of the season against St. Bonaventure on Sept. 17 (2-1, Patriots).

Mason played seven games in September, with four on the road and three at home. 

The Patriots played a season-high four straight matches on the road from Sept. 20 through Oct. 1, alternating non-conference and league games. 

The Patriots made the trek to take on top-ranked Wake Forest on Sept. 20 (6-1, Demon Deacons), played their first A-10 road game against Davidson on Sept. 24 (2-0, Wildcats), visited William & Mary on Sept. 27 (3-0, Tribe) and traveled to No. 19 Dayton on Oct. 1 (4-0, Flyers).

Mason returned to Fairfax to continued league play against La Salle on Oct. 5 (0-0 draw) and hosted Duquesne on Oct. 8 (1-0, Dukes).  After an A-10 road matchup at Rhode Island (Oct. 15), the Patriots are back home for a non-conference game against UNCW (Oct. 18).  Rhode Island finished second in the A-10 last season with a 5-2-1 record and went 10-5-2 overall.

The Patriots travel to face in-state rival VCU (Oct. 22) and conclude the regular season at home against the George Washington Colonials (Oct. 29) in a Revolutionary Rivalry contest.
This season, the Patriots are scheduled to play 15 regular season games, a slate that includes two matches against NCAA Tournament teams.  Mason will play seven home games, three against non-conference opponents and four against Atlantic 10 rivals.

SCOUTING RHODE ISLAND

Rhode Island enters the match with a 5-1-5 overall record, including a mark of 1-1-2 (5 pts.) against Atlantic 10 Conference opponents.  The Rams are 3-1-1 at home and 2-0-4 on the road this season.

Last time out, Rhode Island had a pair of one-goal leads in the second half but played to a 2-2 draw against La Salle on Saturday at McCarthy Stadium in Philadelphia, Pa.

The Explorers outshot the Rams, 13-9, while Rhode Island had an 8-6 advantage in shots on goal in the match.  Senior forward Patrick Agyemang ('57) and graduate student midfielder Edvin Akselsen ('70) each scored for the Rams.

Rhode Island's lone loss of the season was a 2-0 setback against No. 18 Dayton on Sept. 24 at the URI Soccer Complex.

Agyemang leads the club in goals (5) and points (12) in nine games played with six starts.  He is third on the team in shots (19) and tied for third in shots on goal (10).

Junior forward Rafa Villanueva is second on the team in goals (4) and points (9) in 11 games played with four starts.  He is fourth on the squad in shots (16) and tied for third in shots on goal (10).

Sophomore forward Isak Oystese is tied for third on the team in goals (3) and points (8) in 11 games played with nine starts.  He paces the Rams in both shots (25) and shots on goal (13).

Freshman goalkeeper Max Hinke (5-1-5, 1-1-2 A-10, 1.45 GAA, 990 MIN, 2 SO) has started all 11 games for the Rams with 44 saves and 16 goals against.

CORNER KICK
 
Mason and Rhode Island have met twice in the A-10 Soccer Championships.

The Patriots and Rams last met in the title game in 2018.  Rhode Island emerged with a 2-0 victory over Mason on Nov. 11, 2018 at Hermann Stadium in St Louis, Mo. 

The Patriots fell to Rhode Island, 2-1, in A-10 Tournament on Nov. 14, 2014 in Richmond, Va.