MEN'S SOCCER vs. Duquesne
WHEN: Saturday, Oct. 8, 2022 | 1 p.m.
WHERE: George Mason Stadium | Fairfax, Va.
RECORDS: Mason (2-7-1, 1-2-1 A-10); Duquesne (7-1-3, 2-0-2 A-10)
SERIES RECORD: Duquesne leads, 3-0-2
LAST MEETING:  The Dukes defeated the Patriots, 3-0, on Oct. 13, 2018 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 continues Atlantic 10 play, hosting Duquesne on Saturday, with the opening kick scheduled for 1 p.m. at George Mason Stadium.

Last time out, the Patriots (2-7-1, 1-2-1 A-10) recorded their first draw of the season, 0-0, against La Salle on Wednesday at George Mason Stadium.

Mason senior goalkeeper Jake Langley made four saves in the match to post his first shutout with the Patriots.  The Explorers outshot the Patriots, 9-8, including a 4-3 edge in shots on goal.  Mason freshman midfielder Nicholas Prioli led the club with two shots on goal in the match.

The Patriots have been shutout in each of their last four matches and look to snap a goalless drought of 408:39 over the last five 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 10 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 Eichelberger have each netted one goal on the season.

Langley (2-7-1, 1-2-1 A-10 2.32 GAA, 900 MIN, 1 SO) has started every match for the Patriots with 37 saves and 23 goals against.

Mason and Duquesne have met only five times, with the Dukes leading the all-time series, 3-0-2.  Duquesne is the only current A-10 team that the Patriots have never defeated. 

Duquesne has won three matches played at George Mason Stadium by final scores of 1-0 (Sept. 3, 1999), 3-1 (Oct. 21, 2015) and 3-0 (Oct. 13, 2018).  The Patriots have played a pair of double overtime draws in both visits to Pittsburgh, with a 1-1 draw (Nov. 8, 2013) and a 2-2 draw (Oct. 19, 2016).

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

In the last meeting between the two clubs, the Dukes scored three goals in the second half (48', 66', 74') to defeat the Patriots, 3-0, on Oct. 13, 2018 at George Mason Stadium.  Duquesne outshot Mason, 17-8 and held the Patriots to one shot on goal 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 (Szeged, Hungary), 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 continued league play against La Salle on Oct. 5 (0-0 draw) and host 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 DUQUESNE

Duquesne enters the match with a 7-1-3 overall record, including a mark of 2-0-2 against Atlantic 10 Conference opponents.  The Dukes are 3-0-1 at home and 4-1-2 on the road this season.

Last time out, Duquesne extended its home unbeaten streak to 12 games (10-0-2, 3-0-1 this year) with a 0-0 draw against Saint Joseph's on Wednesday at Rooney Field in Pittsburgh, Pa.

The Hawks outshot the Dukes, 10-5, including a 4-2 advantage in shots on goal in the match.

Duquesne enters the match tied for first in the A-10 with Dayton.  Each team is 2-0-2 in league play for eight points.

The Dukes have allowed the fewest goals in the league (5) and have the lowest team goals against average (0.45).

In two A-10 home games, Duquesne downed Loyola Chicago, 2-1 (Sept. 17) and tied Saint Joseph's, 0-0 (Oct. 5).  In their two league road games, the Dukes topped George Washington, 2-1 (Oct. 1) and played to a draw at Massachusetts, 0-0 (Sept. 24).

Freshman midfielder Ask Ekeland leads the club in points (7) and is tied for the team lead in goals (3) in 11 starts.  He is second in both shots (21) and shots on goal (13).

Junior defender Torge Witteborg is tied for the team lead in goals (3) and is tied for second in points (6) in 11 starts.  Junior midfielder Nate Dragisich paces the Dukes and is tied for the A-10 lead in assists (6) and is tied for second on the team in points (6). 

Graduate student goalkeeper Domenic Nascimben (7-1-3, 0.45 GAA, 990 MIN, 6 SO) has started all 11 games for the Dukes and recorded six shutouts.  He leads the A-10 in shutouts (6), saves (50), saves per game (4.55), and fewest goals against (5).

Nationally, Nascimben is tied for second in shutouts (6), tied sixth in the nation in goals against average (0.45) and ranks sixth in saves (50).

CORNER KICK
 
Duquesne is one of the Atlantic 10 teams that Mason has played the least since joining the league in 2013.

The Patriots are looking for their first win against the Dukes, who hold a 3-0-2 advantage in the five meetings between the two teams.  Duquesne is the only current A-10 team that Mason has not defeated.

Mason and Duquesne met for the first time 23 years ago, with the Dukes recording a 1-0 win at George Mason Stadium on Sept. 3, 1999.