MEN'S SOCCER vs. Penn State
WHEN: Monday, Sept. 5, 2022 | 7 p.m.
WHERE: Fairfax, Va. | George Mason Stadium
RECORDS: Mason (0-2-0); Penn State (1-1-1)
SERIES RECORD: Mason leads, 3-1-1
LAST MEETING: The Patriots and Nittany Lions played to a 1-1 draw on Aug. 26, 2021 at Jeffrey Field in University Park, Pa.
WATCH ($): ESPN+
LIVE STATS: Click here
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!
FAIRFAX, Va. – The George Mason men's soccer team hosts Penn State in the home opener on Monday, with the opening kickoff scheduled for 7 p.m. at George Mason Stadium.
Last time out, the Patriots (0-2-0) fell to American, 2-1, on Friday at Reeves Field in Washington, D.C.
Mason sophomore defender
Ahmed Mohamed scored his first collegiate goal in the ninth minute of play to give the Patriots the early lead. Graduate student forward
Ariel Aguas picked up his first assist as a Patriot on the play. Senior goalkeeper
Jake Langley (0-2-0) made three saves in the match.
Mason and then No. 11 Penn State met last season, with the match ending in a 1-1 draw at Jeffrey Field in University Park, Pa. With inclement weather in the area, the match was delayed with 5:06 remaining in regulation. The game was called final after a mutual decision by the coaching staff of both teams to not resume the game due to lightning.
Penn State scored the first goal of the match in the 38th minute. Mason midfielder
Louis Lehr scored with a header to notch his first collegiate goal in the 67th minute in his Patriots debut. Forward
Balint Kocso and Lehr each recorded two shots on goal in the match.
The Nittany Lions outshot the Patriots 16-11, including a 7-6 edge in shots on goal. Penn State finished with seven corner kicks, while Mason had two corner kicks in the match.
The Patriots have an all-time record of 3-1-1 against the Nittany Lions. Mason is 3-0-0 all-time against Penn State in games played at George Mason Stadium. The Patriots have wins over the Nittany Lions by scores of 2-1 (Oct. 4, 1987), 4-1 (Sept. 9, 1992) and 1-0 in overtime (Sept. 24, 2005) in Fairfax.
Mason head coach
Rich Costanzo played at Penn State (2004-2005), where he was named Big Ten Freshman of the Year and Freshman All-American by Soccer American and TopDrawerSoccer in 2004.
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.
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 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 PENN STATE
The Nittany Lions finished the 2021 season with a 13-7-1 overall record, including a mark of 6-2-0 against Big Ten Conference opponents. Penn State went 9-3-1 at home and 4-4-0 on the road last season.
The Nittany Lions defeated Michigan State, Michigan and No. 17 Indiana to claim their first Big Ten tournament title since 2005. Penn State fell in the second round of the NCAA Tournament, 8-2.
The Nittany Lions return two of their top scorers from last season. Midfielder Andrew Previtt led the team in goals (9) and points (22) in 21 games with 17 starts. Midfielder Seth Kuhn paced the club in assists (8), was second in shots on goal (17) and third in goals (5) and points (18) in 21 starts.
Goalkeeper Kris Shakes started 18 matches and finished the season with a 12-6-0 record. He posted a 1.28 goals against average with 65 saves and 23 goals against.
Penn State is 1-1-1 to start the 2022 campaign. Penn State played to a 1-1 draw in the season opener at Jeffrey Field against Rhode Island (Aug. 25), fell at Syracuse 1-0 (Aug. 28) and defeated West Virginia, 3-2, at Jeffrey Field (Sept. 2).
Junior midfielder Peter Mangioni leads the club in goals (2) and points (4) in three starts. Sophomore midfielder Sean Bettenhausen and senior forward Liam Butts have each tallied one goal in three games started.
In his senior year, Shakes (1-1-1, 1.33 GAA, 270 MIN) has started the each of the first three games. He has made 16 saves and allowed four goals.
CORNER KICK
The Patriots are facing the Nittany Lions for just the sixth time in program history. The two teams first met on Oct. 4, 1987, with Mason defeating Penn State, 2-1.
The Patriots have a 3-0-0 record against the Nittany Lions in games played at George Mason Stadium. Mason has defeated Penn State 2-1 (Oct. 4, 1987), 4-1 (Sept. 9, 1992) and 1-0 in overtime (Sept. 24, 2005) in Fairfax.
Mason has faced Penn State twice in the Keystone State, with both matches ending in a draw. The Patriots and then No. 11 Nittany Lions tied 1-1 last season on Aug. 26, 2021 at Jeffrey Field. Mason played the No. 3 Nittany Lions to a 0-0 double-overtime draw on September 28, 2004 in University Park, Pa.
