MEN'S SOCCER vs. Rhode Island
WHEN: Wednesday, Oct. 4 | 7 p.m.
WHERE: Fairfax, Va. | George Mason Stadium
RECORDS: Mason (1-5-2, 0-3-0 A-10); Rhode Island (2-4-3, 0-2-1 A-10)
SERIES RECORD: Rhode Island leads, 6-4-0
LAST MEETING: The Rams defeated the Patriots, 2-1, on Oct. 15, 2022 in Kingston, R.I.
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

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FAIRFAX, Va. – The George Mason men's soccer team returns home to face Rhode Island on Wednesday with the opening kick scheduled for 7 p.m. at George Mason Stadium in Fairfax, Va.
 
Mason (1-5-2, 0-3-0 A-10) and Rhode Island (2-4-3, 0-2-1 A-10) have met 10 times.  The Rams lead the all-time series, 6-4-0.  The Patriots are 4-0-0 at George Mason Stadium against Rhode Island (1-0 Sept. 8, 2000 / 2-1 Nov. 1, 2013 / 2-1 Nov. 7, 2015 / 2-0 Oct. 31, 2018).
 
The Patriots have won each of the four home matches in program history against the Rams.  Rhode Island last played in Fairfax on Oct. 31, 2018, with the Patriots blanking the Rams, 2-0.
 
In the last meeting between the two clubs, the Rams downed the Patriots, 2-1, on Oct. 15, 2022 at the URI Soccer Complex in Kingston, R.I.  With the Patriots down early in the first half, forward Ismail Kamara scored the equalizer in the 18th minute.
 
Rhode Island outshot Mason, 14-5, including a 5-4 advantage in shots on goal in the match.
 
Last time out, the Patriots fell 2-1 at La Salle last Saturday at McCarthy Stadium in Philadelphia, Pa.  Mason freshman defender Kelly Janssen netted his first collegiate goal in the third minute of play.
 
Mason junior goalkeeper Jaume Salvado (1-5-2, 0-3-0 A-10) made one save in the match against the Explorers.
 
Junior forward Souley Diouf leads the club in goals (3), points (7), shots (13) and shots on goal (6) in eight games with seven starts.
 
Graduate student midfielder Luis Maestre leads the team and is tied for second in the Atlantic 10 in assists (5) in eight starts.
 
Senior midfielder Henry Wachsman is second on the club in goals (2), third in points (4) and tied for second in shots on goal (4) in eight starts.
 
Sophomore midfielders Nicholas Prioli (7 games/3 starts) and Asparuh Slavov (6 games/6 starts), freshman forwards Davis Crittenden (7 games) and Abdul Kamara (5 games) and Janssen have each recorded one goal.
 
ABOUT THE PATRIOTS
 
The Patriots have 12 returners and 17 newcomers on the roster heading into the 2023 season under second-year head coach Rich Costanzo (Maryland, '08).
 
Assistant coaches Noel Orozco (St. Bonaventure, '17) and Michael Callahan (North Carolina, '08) also enter their second year with the Patriots.
 
Returning from last year's squad is graduate student goalkeeper Jake Langley (Villanova, Pa.).  Returning seniors include forward Ishmail Kamara (Woodbridge, Va.), defender Noah McGrath (Melbourne, Australia) and midfielders Cameron Revels (Clover, S.C.) and Henry Wachsman (Barrington, Ill.)
 
Returning juniors are defender Ahmed Mohamed (Cairo, Egypt) and midfielder Zach Golden (Morlboro, N.J.).
 
Mason has four returning sophomores on the roster with defenders Eric Allen (Columbia, Md.), Will Carson (Wheeling, W. Va.) and Joshua Morrobel (Burke, Va.) and midfielder Nicholas Prioli (Houston, Texas).  Goalkeeper Jack Desroches (Virginia Beach, Va.) returns for his redshirt-freshman campaign.
 
The Patriots added eight transfers during the offseason including graduate student midfielder Luis Maestre (Elche, Spain).  Three juniors made their way to Mason, with forward Souley Diouf (Thies, Senegal), defender Javi Sanchez (Elche, Spain) and goalkeeper Jaume Salvado (Barcelona, Spain) set for their first year with the Green and Gold.
 
The Patriots have four sophomore transfers with defender Levi Stephens (Akron, Ohio), forward Gabriel Silveira (Concordia, Brazil) and midfielders Erick Kilosho (Roanoke, Va.) and Asparuh Slavov (Easton, Pa.).
 
Eight freshmen enter their first year with the Patriots.  Defenders David Garcia (Woodbridge, Va.) and Kelly Janssen (Sebastopol, Calif.), midfielders James Eliuda (Juba, South Sudan), Brent Fields (Alexandria, Va.) and Anton Siren (Berlin, Germany), forwards Abdul Kamara (Woodbridge, Va.) and Davis Crittenden (Newport News, Va.) along with goalkeeper Blake Moness (Toronto, Ontario, Canada).
 
PATRIOTS SCHEDULE
 
The Patriots are scheduled to play 15 regular season games, a slate that includes eight matches against Atlantic 10 opponents and six games at George Mason Stadium.
 
Head coach Rich Costanzo begins his second season after being named the Patriots' 11th men's soccer coach in program history last year.
 
The Green and Gold kicked off the regular season at home against UMBC on Aug. 24 (4-3 Retrievers) and played the first road match against Virginia on Aug. 31 (1-0 Cavaliers). Charlottesville.
 
Mason returned home to take on Old Dominion on Sept. 24 (2-2 draw).  The Patriots traveled to battle Bucknell on Sept. 8 (0-0 draw) in Lewisburg, Pa.
 
The Patriots downed Navy, 4-0, for their first victory of the season on Sept. 11 at George Mason Stadium.
 
Mason dropped its Atlantic 10 Conference opener to Davidson on Sept. 16 (2-0 Wildcats) and fell at St. Bonaventure on Sept. 23 in the first A-10 road match of the season (2-0 Bonnies).
 
Mason will then alternate road and home games over a six-match span from Sept. 30 through Oct. 21.
 
The Patriots wrapped up the month of September on the road against La Salle on Sept. 30 (2-1 Explorers) in Philadelphia, Pa.
 
The Patriots return to George Mason Stadium to host Rhode Island (Oct. 4). 
 
The match against the Rams is the first of seven that the Patriots will play in October, with three at home and four on the road in the month.
 
Mason makes the trek to take on Duquesne (Oct. 7) in Pittsburgh, Pa. and then returns home for a clash against Dayton (Oct. 14).
 
The Patriots travel to face Radford (Oct. 17) in a non-conference matchup before returning to league play at home against in-state rival VCU (Oct. 21).
 
The Patriots will play their final two matches of the regular season on the road against Delaware (Oct. 24) and George Washington (Oct. 28).
 
Prior to the start of the regular season, Mason played two exhibition games.  The Patriots traveled to Loyola on Aug. 12 (3-1 Greyhounds) and hosted Mount St. Mary's on Aug. 19 (3-0 Patriots).
 
Campus sites will host the Atlantic 10 tournament, with the first round scheduled for Nov. 5 and the final slated for Nov. 13.
 
SCOUTING RHODE ISLAND
 
Rhode Island has a record of 2-4-3 including a mark of 0-2-1 against Atlantic 10 opponents. The Rams are 2-1-1 at home and 0-3-2 on the road.
 
Last time out, Rhode Island fell at Saint Louis, 2-0, on Saturday at Hermann Stadium in St. Louis, Mo.
 
The Rams outshot the Billikens, 14-11, while Saint Louis had a 5-4 advantage in shots on goal.  Rhode Island had six corner kicks and Saint Louis finished with four corner kicks in the match.
 
Rhode Island is winless and has been shutout in each of its last four matches, with three of the four games on the road.  The Rams fell at Dayton, 6-0 (Sept. 16), were downed at Bryant, 4-0 (Sept. 19), played to a 0-0 home draw against La Salle (Sept. 23) and lost at Saint Louis, 2-0 (Sept. 30).
 
Junior forward Inigo Etxegarai is tied for first on the club in goals (1), assists (1) and points (3).  He leads the team in shots (17) and shots on goal (6).  Freshman defender Nate Yurkovic is tied for first on the team in goals (1), assists (1) and points (3).
 
Junior goalkeeper Edu Rodriguez (1-4-2, 671 minutes) has started eight games with a 1.88 goals against average and .588 save percentage.  He has made 20 saves and allowed 14 goals against.
 
Sophomore goalkeeper Nate DiLoreto (1-0-1, 138 minutes) has played two games with one start with a 0.00 goals against average and 1.000 save percentage.  He has made four saves and hasn't allowed a goal against.
 
CORNER KICK
 
The Patriots have won each of their four home matches against the Rams.  Rhode Island last played in Fairfax on Oct. 31, 2018, with the Patriots blanking the Rams, 2-0.
 
Mason and Rhode Island have met twice in the A-10 Soccer Championships.
 
The Patriots and Rams met in the title game in 2018.  Rhode Island emerged with a 2-0 victory over Mason on Nov. 11, 2018 at Hermann Stadium in St. Louis, Mo.  The Patriots fell to Rhode Island, 2-1, in the A-10 Tournament on Nov. 14, 2014 in Richmond, Va.