FAIRFAX, Va. – On Alumni Day, the George Mason women's soccer team (2-15, 2-7 A-10) won their first home match of the season, as they defeated longtime rival George Washington (3-10-3, 0-7-1 A-10) by the score of 2-1 on Sunday night at George Mason Stadium.

Mason snaps their five-game losing skid and pick up their second win on the season. The Patriots also recorded their program-high 24^th win over the Revolutionaries.

HOW THEY SCORED
GEORGE MASON
53' | Molly Starner (1), unassisted
80' | Milan Pierre-Jerome (2), unassisted

GEORGE WASHINGTON
71' | Alexa Meinen (2), assisted by Aoi Kataoka (7)

The Patriots and the Revolutionaries played to a deadlock in the first half. However, the Patriots almost took the lead in the 33^rd minute, when freshman forward Kiyomi McCausland's right-footed shot from 18 yards out hit the crossbar and bounced out of play.

It was only the second time this season the Patriots kept a clean sheet going into the second half, with the first time being their 1-0 win over Richmond on Sept. 21.

The Patriots put up the pressure in the second half, as they exploded for 14 shots in the half, totaling 21 for the game. Molly Starner and Michi Hooks led the team with two shots on goal, while Ashley Shimberg, Sophie Davidson, Milan Pierre-Jerome, Mia Casciani, and Rachel Eberly had one shot on goal.

The Patriots took the lead in the 53^rd minute, thanks to a Molly Starner rebound. Off of a Mia Casciani corner, the ball bounced around dangerously in front of the mouth of the goal. Freshman forward Molly Starner was then able to finally put away her first career goal by squeezing the jammed ball out of the bottom corner of the goal and over the goal line. Starner had a game-high five shots with two on goal.

This also marked Mason's first goal scored at home all season.

The Patriots had a chance to double their lead five minutes later. In the 58^th minute, sophomore Sophie Davidson was taken down by George Washington's Avril Silva inside of the penalty box, resulting in a penalty kick for Mason. Sophomore Mia Casciani was chosen to take the shot from 12 yards out, but it was ultimately saved by GW's Grace Crowe.

The Revolutionaries tied the game in the 71^st minute off an Alexa Meinen goal. Midfielder Aoi Kataoka placed a through ball to the running Revolutionary who was able to connect with the ball in stride with a left-footed one-timer from just inside the penalty box. The ball tailed away from the diving Ginny Fronk and hit the top-right corner of Mason's net, leveling the game at one-a-piece.

It would not be tied for long. In the 80th minute, captain Milan Pierre-Jerome recovered a loose ball in Mason's attacking third, evaded two GW defenders and scored on a right-footed shot inside the penalty box. This was Pierre-Jerome's first game-winning goal as a Patriot.

The Patriots were able to keep the Revolutionaries from scoring again in the final 10 minutes of the match to secure the win.

INSIDE THE NUMBERS

• This is Mason's first multi-score win since Aug. 25, 2022, when the Patriots beat Howard 3-1 at home.
• Mason secured their 24^th win over George Washington, the most in program history. In the last ten matchups with the Revolutionaries, the Patriots are 6-2-2, with their only losses in that stretch coming from 2015 and the shortened 2020-21 season.
• Mason recorded a season-high 21 shots with nine on goal. They outmatched the Revolutionaries in shots (21 to 11), shots on goal (9 to 6) and corners (10 to 6).
• Freshman Ginny Fronk recorded her second win of her career. The Cranberry Township, Pa., native came in to start the second half and made two saves. Selamawit Caldart started the first half of the game and made three saves.
• Freshman Molly Starner scored her first collegiate goal in the 53^rd minute to break the deadlock. It also marked Mason's first home goal of the season.
• Senior Milan Pierre-Jerome scored her second goal of the season and her first game-winner as a Patriot. The captain from from Fort Lauderdale, Fla., now leads the team in goals.

UP NEXT
The Patriots will play their final game of the season this Thursday, Oct. 19, when they host St. Bonaventure. It will also be Mason's Senior Night, where the team will recognize six Patriots donning the Green & Gold for the final time. Kickoff is scheduled for 5 p.m. and can be watched on ESPN+.