MEN'S SOCCER vs. La Salle
WHEN: Wednesday, Oct. 5, 2022 | 7 p.m.
WHERE: George Mason Stadium | Fairfax, Va.
RECORDS: Mason (2-7-0, 1-2-0 A-10); La Salle (3-4-3, 2-1-0 A-10)
SERIES RECORD: La Salle leads, 4-3-3
LAST MEETING:  The Explorers defeated the Patriots, 4-1, on Oct. 30, 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 returns home to face La Salle in an Atlantic 10 matchup on Wednesday, with the opening kick scheduled for 7 p.m. at George Mason Stadium.

The Patriots begin a two-game homestand after playing four consecutive matches on the road.

Last time out, the Patriots (2-7-0, 1-2-0 A-10) were shutout at No. 19 Dayton, 4-0, on Saturday at Baujan Field in Dayton, Ohio.

Dayton has the second-highest scoring offense in the nation at 3.22 goals per game, only behind Charlotte (3.88).

The Flyers scored the eventual game-winning goal with eight seconds remaining in the first half and added three goals in the second half of play.

Mason senior goalkeeper Jake Langley made five saves in the match.  The Flyers outshot the Patriots, 15-6, including a 9-2 advantage in shots on goal.

The Patriots have been shutout in each of their last three matches and look to snap a goalless drought of 318:39 over the last four 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 Raphael leads the club in goals (2) and points (4) in nine games played with two starts.  Graduate student forward Ariel Aguas leads the team in shots (13) and shots on goal (6) and has scored one goal with one assist for three points in nine starts.

Junior midfielders Louis Lehr and Henry Wachsman, sophomore defender Ahmed Mohamed, sophomore forward Balint Kocso and freshman midfielder Zach Eichelberger have each netted one goal on the season.

Langley (2-7-0, 1-2-0 A-10 2.58 GAA, 800 MIN) has started every match for the Patriots with 33 saves and 23 goals against.

Mason and La Salle have met 10 times, with the Explorers leading the all-time series, 5-3-2.  The Patriots are 2-3-2 against the Explorers in games played in Fairfax and have a 1-1-1 record in games played in Philadelphia, Pa.

In the last meeting between the two clubs, the Explorers defeated the Patriots, 4-1, on Oct. 30, 2021 at George Mason Stadium in the final match of the season.  La Salle scored two goals in each half.  Forward Ishmail Kamara scored in the 33rd minute of play for the Patriots lone goal of the match.

The Explorers outshot the Patriots, 18-9, including a 13-3 edge in shots on goal.  La Salle had four 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 plays seven games in September, with four on the road and three at home. 

The Patriots will play 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).

The match against the Flyers is the first of seven that the Patriots will play in October, with four at home and three on the road.

Mason returns to Fairfax to continue league play against La Salle (Oct. 5) and Duquesne (Oct. 8).  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 LA SALLE

La Salle enters the match with a 3-5-2 overall record, including a mark of 2-1-0 against Atlantic 10 Conference opponents.  The Explorers are 2-2-1 at home and 1-3-1 on the road this season.

Last time out, La Salle defeated St. Bonaventure, 2-1, on Saturday in Philadelphia, Pa.

Senior forward Omari Cotterell converted on a penalty kick in the 19th minute and senior forward Nigel Buckley scored the game-winner in the 56th minute of play.

The Explorers outshot the Bonnies, 17-4, including a 5-3 advantage in shots on goal in the match.

La Salle dropped its first A-10 match of the season to Saint Louis, 3-1 (Sept. 17) but has won each of its last two against conference foes.  The Explorers won at Saint Joseph's, 2-1 (Sept. 24) and posted the 2-1 victory over the Bonnies (Oct. 1).

The Explorers have been outscored 14-3 in their five road matches this season, including three shutouts.  La Salle fell at St. Francis Brooklyn (3-0, Aug. 29), Virginia (5-0, Sept. 13) and Monmouth (2-0, Sept. 20), played to a draw at Lehigh (2-2, Sept. 6) and defeated Saint Joseph's (2-1, Sept. 24).

Cotterell is tied for the team lead in goals (3), assists (3) and shots on goal (8).  He paces the Explorers in points (11) and shots (22).  Buckley is tied for the team lead in goals (3) and shots on goal (8) and is second in both points (6) and shots (19).

Freshman goalkeeper Valentine Kneis (0-3-2, 2.40 GAA, 450 MIN, 2 SO) has started five games.  He has made 21 saves and allowed 12 goals against.  Freshman goalkeeper Filip Sabatti (3-1-0, 1.75 GAA, 360 MIN) has started four games.  He has made 11 saves and allowed seven goals against.

CORNER KICK
 
The Patriots and Explorers have faced each other 10 times, with La Salle leading the all-time series, 4-3-3.

Mason is 1-3-2 against La Salle since joining the Atlantic 10 Conference in 2013.

The Patriots and Explorers met for the first time in 1999, with Mason recording a 2-1 victory in overtime on Sept. 18, 1999 in Fairfax.