MEN'S SOCCER at Old Dominion
WHEN: Friday, Aug. 26, 2022 | 7 p.m.
WHERE: Norfolk, Va. | ODU Soccer Complex
SERIES RECORD: Mason leads, 19-18-2
LAST MEETING:  The Monarchs defeated the Patriots, 2-1, on Sept. 14, 2021 at George Mason Stadium.
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FAIRFAX, Va. – The George Mason men's soccer team travels to face Old Dominion in the season opener on Friday, with the opening kick scheduled for 7 p.m. at ODU Soccer Complex in Norfolk, Va.
 
The Patriots and Monarchs are set to renew a rivalry that dates back over 50 years.  The two schools met for the first time in 1969.  Mason has an all-time record of 19-18-2 against Old Dominion. 

The 19 victories against the Monarchs are fifth-most against an opponent in program history.  The Patriots have recorded the most wins in program history against George Washington (27), Richmond (25), UNC-Wilmington (22), American (21) and East Carolina (21).

Old Dominion edged the Patriots, 2-1, on Sept. 14, 2021 at George Mason Stadium in the last meeting between the two clubs.  The Monarchs scored goals in the 11th and 40th minute, while Mason midfielder Louis Lehr converted a penalty kick in 89th minute of play.  Goalkeeper Billy Schutze made his Mason debut in the match.

The Patriots outshot the Monarchs 13-10 and posted a 5-4 edge in corner kicks.

Mason is 0-4-1 in its last five visits to Old Dominion.  The Patriots last win on the road against the Monarchs was a 4-0 shutout victory on Oct. 3, 1998.
 
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.
 
Mason will host Penn State in the home opener on Monday, Sept. 5, with the opening kick scheduled for 7 p.m. at George Mason Stadium. 

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 freshman 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 kick off the season with a pair of road tests, facing Old Dominion (Aug. 26) and American (Sept. 2) in the first two games of seven non-conference matches.

Mason will then play three straight games at George Mason Stadium, the longest homestand of the season.  The Patriots host Penn State (Sept. 5) in the home opener, welcome Radford (Sept.10) and play their first conference match of the season against St. Bonaventure (Sept. 17).
 
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 make the trek to take on Wake Forest (Sept. 20), play their first A-10 road game against Davidson (Sept. 24), visit William & Mary (Sept. 27) and travel to Dayton (Oct. 1).

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.

SCOUTING OLD DOMINION
 
The Monarchs finished the 2021 season with a 3-9-2 overall record, including a mark of 1-5-2 against Conference USA opponents.  Old Dominion went 1-3-2 at home and 2-6-0 on the road last season.

Old Dominion scored 13 goals and surrendered 27 during the 2021 campaign.

Midfielder Karan Mandair tied for the team lead in goals (4) and was second in points (8) in nine games played in his freshman year.  Midfielder Eli Carr was second on the club in goals (2) and points (6), and tied for first in assists (2) in 13 games played as a sophomore last year. 

Goalkeeper Djibril Doumbia started all 14 matches during the season (3-9-2, 1.87 GAA) and played every minute (1300) for the Monarchs.  He allowed 27 goals against and made 54 saves.

Former Mason forward Ryan Mahon enters his first year with Old Dominion.  He played in 13 games with three starts and logged 442 minutes of action as a freshman with the Patriots a year ago.

Head coach Alan Dawson enters his 27th season at the helm of the Monarchs and his 251 victories at Old Dominion are the most in program history.  With a career record of 380-190-59, he ranks in the top-15 in all-time winning percentage in collegiate men's soccer.

CORNER KICK
 
Mason has faced Old Dominion 39 times, the fifth-most matches against an opponent in program history. 
 
The 10 opponents that the Patriots have faced the most all-time are William & Mary (47), American (47), George Washington (47), James Madison (42), Old Dominion (39), VCU (38), Richmond (35), UNC Wilmington (31), Virginia (31) and Towson (26).