MEN'S SOCCER at Davidson
WHEN: Saturday, Sept. 24, 2022 | 7 p.m.
WHERE: Davidson N.C. | Alumni Soccer Stadium
RECORDS: Mason (2-4-0, 1-0-0 A-10); Davidson (2-5-1, 0-1-0 A-10)
SERIES RECORD: Mason leads, 5-3-2
LAST MEETING:  The Wildcats defeated the Patriots, 1-0, on Oct. 23, 2021 at George Mason Stadium.
WATCH ($): ESPN+
LIVE STATS: Click here FAIRFAX, Va. – The George Mason men's soccer team plays its first Atlantic 10 road match of the season against Davidson on Saturday, with the opening kickoff scheduled for 7 p.m. at Alumni Soccer Stadium in Davidson, N.C.
 
Last time out, the Patriots (2-4-0, 1-0-0 A-10) fell at No. 1 Wake Forest, 6-1, on Tuesday at Spry Stadium in Winston-Salem, N.C.
 
Mason freshman midfielder Zach Eichelberger scored his first collegiate goal in the 42nd minute of play to tie the match, 1-1.  The Demon Deacons scored five unanswered goals for the victory.
 
Graduate student forward Noah Raphael leads the club in goals (2) and points (4).  Graduate student midfielder Ariel Aguas leads the team in shots (10) and shots on goal (5). 
 
Junior midfielders Louis Lehr and Henry Wachsman, sophomore forward Balint Kocso, sophomore defender Ahmed Mohamed, freshman midfielder Zach Eichelberger and Aguas have each netted one goal.
 
Senior goalkeeper Jake Langley (2-4-0, 1-0-0 A-10, 2.33 GAA, 540 MIN) has started all six games with 21 saves and 14 goals against.
 
The Patriots and Wildcats have faced each other 10 times, with Mason leading the all-time series, 5-3-2.
 
Mason is unbeaten in three trips to Davidson with a mark of 2-0-1.  The Patriots have posted a pair of 1-0 victories on the road against the Wildcats (Oct. 31, 2015 and Oct. 27, 2018) and a 2-2 double overtime draw (March 14, 2021).
 
The Patriots are 3-2-0 at home and 1-1 in Atlantic 10 Tournament play against the Wildcats.
 
In last season's matchup, Davidson downed the Patriots, 1-0, on Oct. 23, 2021 at George Mason Stadium.  The Wildcats scored the lone goal of the match in the 29th minute of play and goalkeeper Giacomo Piccardo made five saves for the clean slate.
 
The Patriots outshot the Wildcats, 16-8, including a 5-4 advantage in shots on goal.  Mason finished with 14 corner kicks, while Davidson had just four 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 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 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 No.1 Wake Forest on Sept. 20 (6-1, Demon Deacons), 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.
 
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 DAVIDSON

The Wildcats have a 2-5-1 overall record, including a mark of 0-1-0 against Atlantic 10 Conference opponents.  Davidson is 1-1-0 at home and 1-4-0 on the road this season.

Last time out, Davidson defeated Radford, 5-0, on Tuesday at Cupp Stadium in Radford, Va.  Junior midfielder Luke Bryant scored his first two goals of the season and added an assist for the Wildcats.
 
Davidson outshot Radford, 14-7, including a 7-1 advantage in shots on goal in the match.
 
Davidson dropped its first four games of the season with losses at High Point (1-0, Aug. 25), at East Tennessee State (3-0, Aug. 28), against Campbell (2-0, Sept. 1) and at Georgia State (3-1, Sept. 6).
 
The Wildcats are 2-1-1 in their last four outings, including a 3-0 win at home over Averett (Sept. 9).
 
Freshman forward Denis Krioutchenkov leads the club in goals (3) and points (6).  He is second in shots (23) and shots on goal (10) in eight games with seven starts.  Sophomore forward Vincent Bennage paces the Wildcats in shots (26) and shots on goal (12).  He is second in goals (2) and points (5) in eight starts.
 
Senior goalkeeper Giacomo Piccardo (1-4-1, 1.57 GAA, 516 MIN) has started six games with 16 saves and nine goals against.

CORNER KICK
 
Mason and Davidson have met once in Atlantic 10 Tournament play, with the Patriots earning a 4-2 victory on penalty kicks in the first round on Nov. 13, 2014 in Richmond, Va.
 
The game was scoreless, 0-0, after double overtime. 
 
Mason goalkeeper Michael Butts surrendered just two goals on four penalty kicks, while Jannik Eckenrode, Daniel Hoffman, Conlan Kemmerer and Timi Mulgrew converted penalty kicks for the Patriots.
 
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!