MEN'S SOCCER at VCU
WHEN: Saturday, Oct. 22, 2022 | 7 p.m.
WHERE: Sports Backers Stadium | Richmond, Va.
RECORDS: Mason (2-9-2, 1-4-1 A-10); VCU (1-7-5, 1-1-3 A-10)
SERIES RECORD: VCU leads, 17-10-11
LAST MEETING: The Rams defeated the Patriots in overtime, 1-0, on Oct. 16, 2021 at George Mason Stadium.
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 $5 per ticket and group tickets must be purchased in advance. Those interested in a group outing are encouraged to fill out a Group Information Request form and will be contacted by a George Mason Ticket Representative!
WATCH ($): ESPN+
LIVE STATS: Click here
FAIRFAX, Va. – The George Mason men's soccer team plays its final road match of the season against VCU on Saturday, with the opening kick scheduled for 7 p.m. at Sports Backers Stadium in Richmond, Va.
Last time out, the Patriots (2-9-2, 1-4-1 A-10) played to a 1-1 home draw against UNCW on Tuesday.
Mason freshman midfielder
Zach Golden scored his first goal in a Mason uniform in the 50th minute, with sophomore defender
Joshua Morrobel picking up his first collegiate assist on the play.
Mason senior goalkeeper
Jake Langley (2-9-2, 1-4-1 A-10) made four saves in the match. The Seahawks outshot the Patriots, 18-8, while Mason finished with a 4-3 edge in shots on goal.
Graduate student forward
Noah Raphael leads the club in goals (2) and points (4) in 13 games played with three starts. Sophomore forward
Balint Kocso leads the team in shots (15) and shots on goal (7) in 12 games with 10 starts.
Graduate student forward
Ariel Aguas, junior midfielders
Louis Lehr and
Henry Wachsman, junior forward
Ishmail Kamara, sophomore defender
Ahmed Mohamed, freshman midfielder
Zach Eichelberger, Golden and Kocso have each netted one goal on the season.
Langley (2-9-2, 1-4-1 A-10, 2.09 GAA, 1160 MIN, 1 SO) has started every match for the Patriots with 50 saves and 27 goals against. Sophomore goalkeeper
Matthew Bauer (9 MIN) has appeared in one match.
The Patriots are set to face one of their most-common opponents in the penultimate match of the regular season.
Mason is 10-17-11 in 38 all-time meetings against in-state rival VCU. The Patriots are 7-7-6 in 20 games played in Richmond and 3-10-5 in 18 games played in Fairfax against the Rams.
In the last meeting, the Patriots fell to the Rams in overtime, 1-0, on Oct. 16, 2021 at George Mason Stadium. In overtime, the Rams converted on a penalty kick for the game winner in the 97th minute.
The Rams outshot the Patriots, 17-12, including a 10-2 advantage in shots on goal. VCU finished with 10 corner kicks, while Mason had three corner kicks in the match.
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 on Oct. 15 (2-1, Rams), the Patriots played to a home draw in their non-conference game against UNCW on Oct. 18 (1-1).
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 VCU
VCU enters the match with a 1-7-6 overall record, including a mark of 1-1-4 against Atlantic 10 Conference opponents. The Rams are 0-2-4 at home and 1-5-2 on the road this season.
Last time out, VCU played to a 0-0 draw against Rhode Island on Wednesday at Sports Backers Stadium in Richmond, Va.
Sophomore forward Camilo Comi is tied for the team lead in goals (3) and leads the club in points (7) in 14 games with nine starts. Freshman forward Jean-Claude Bile is tied for first on the team in goals (3) and is second in points (6) in 11 games with one start. Freshman defender Gerardo Castillo paces the Rams in assists (3) and is fourth in points (3) in 11 starts.
Sophomore goalkeeper John Ermini (1-4-5, 1.24 GAA, 1019 MIN, 4 SO) has played 13 games with 11 starts for the Rams. He has made 41 saves and allowed 14 goals against. Sophomore goalkeeper Cory Taylor (0-3-1, 4.11 GAA, 240 MIN, 0 SO) has played four games with three starts. He has made 18 saves and allowed 11 goals against.
CORNER KICK
The Patriots have faced the Rams 37 times, sixth-most against any opponent in program history behind William & Mary (48), George Washington (47), Albany (46), James Madison (42) and Old Dominion (40).
The 11 draws against VCU are the most that the Patriots have recorded against any opponent.
