GEORGE MASON (0-0) vs. OLD DOMINION (0-0)
WHEN: Thursday, August 17 @ 6 p.m.
WHERE: Fairfax, Va. | George Mason Stadium
WATCH: ESPN+
LIVE STATS: Click Here
GAMEDAY PROGRAM: Click Here
HISTORY: Mason leads the all-time series 17-9-2 | Last played each other on Aug. 25, 2019, where ODU won 3-1 in Norfolk, Va.  
FAIRFAX, Va. – The George Mason women's soccer team will kick off their 2023 season with a home match against Old Dominion on Thursday, Aug. 17 at George Mason Stadium. The game is scheduled to start at 6 p.m. This will be the Patriots' first season opener at home since the 2020-21 season.

The season's home first game will be Green & Gold Night. All fans who attend the game will receive a free George Mason Soccer water bottle. More information about future promotions at Mason home games can be found here.
 
TICKETING INFORMATION
Regular season home games for George Mason Women's Soccer will require a ticket for entry. They are available for purchase online in advance, calling the Athletic Ticket Office at 703-993-3270, or by purchasing at the George Mason Stadium Gate. Tickets are $10 for adults and $5 for youth 12 and under. Discounted rates are available for groups of 10 or more as well as George Mason faculty and staff. More information on Women's Soccer tickets can be found here.
 
A LOOK AT THE PATRIOTS
The Patriots have a 37-player roster that comprise of 23 returners and 14 newcomers. More information of the 14 newcomers, who are all freshmen, can be read here.
 
Of the 23 returners, 18 are sophomores. One junior and four seniors round out the team.
 
Captains of the team are seniors Ashley Shimberg and Milan Pierre-Jerome. They are both entering their second year with the Patriots.
 
Shimberg, a forward from Tampa, Fla., is coming into this season with a two-game goal streak. Both goals she scored helped Mason secure draws in their final two games of the season.
 
Pierre-Jerome led the team in assists. The Fort Lauderdale, Fla., native is coming back from her national team duties, as she was on the Haitian national team during the 2023 FIFA Women's World Cup in Australia and New Zealand.
 
Other key returners are sophomores Sophie Davidson, Rachel Eberly and Selamawit Caldart.
 
Sophie Davidson was one of six Patriots to see action in all 18 games last season, and she also started in 13 games. The forward totaled 11 shots, with six on goal, and recorded three goals in her rookie season. The Fulton, Md., native also secured an Atlantic 10 Rookie of the Week award after her multi-goal performance on the last game of the season against VCU.
 
Rachel Eberly also saw action in all 18 games last season, starting in 16 of those games. The Denver, Pa., midfielder recorded a goal against Howard last season, while also tallying an assist at Princeton.
 
Goalkeeper Selamawit Caldart returns as the primary goalkeeper for the Patriots. The Shorewood, Wis., sophomore totaled 93 saves with a .750 save percentage. She recorded a shutout in last year's draw against Appalachian State.
 
Head coach Manya Puppione will be entering her third season at the helm for the Patriots. She is assisted by second-year coach Alyssa Whitehead and first-year coach Owusu Sekyere.
 
Alyssa Whitehead is also returning from national team duties, as she was the goalkeeper coach for the Jamaican national team in this summer's FIFA World Cup. Whitehead helped the Caribbean nation secure three shutouts in the tournament which resulted in the program's first ever advancement to the knockout stages at the World Cup.
 
Owusu Sekyere is Mason's new assistant coach. Sekyere was a former VCU assistant coach and was brought on to Mason's staff over the offseason. He will be entering his first season with the Patriots.
 
Rounding out the coaching staff is volunteer assistant coach Dominic Rutan. He will be entering his second season with the Patriots.
 
SCOUTING ODU
The Monarchs are coming off a historic Sun Belt Conference Tournament win last season. After finishing the regular season 6-8-3 and being seeded sixth in the conference tournament, Old Dominion won the next three games of the tournament in upset fashion, beating the likes of #3 Arkansas State, #2 South Alabama and #4 James Madison. Their conference win also earned them an automatic bid for the 2022 NCAA Tournament, where their season ultimately ended in the first round to North Carolina.
 
Key returners for the Monarchs include graduate students Megan Watts and Ece Turkoglu. Watts was second in points and goals scored last season, with the forward scoring five goals and recording three assists. Turkoglu, a midfielder, was third in points scored and goals, scoring two and assisting in one. She was also given All-Tournament honors.
 
Other returners who earned All-Tournament honors are Anna Tørsløv and Andrea Balcazar Algarin.
 
HISTORY WITH THE MONARCHS
Dating back to their first matchup on Oct. 9, 1983, Mason has a firm 17-9-2 lead over Old Dominion in the all-time series. The last time these two met was on Aug. 25, 2019, where the Monarchs won 3-1 over the Patriots in Norfolk, Va. The two schools have been trading wins from each other in the last six matchups, starting with a Mason 3-0 win back in 2013 in Fairfax.
 
UP NEXT
After Thursday's home opener, the Patriots will head to Boone, N.C. to face Appalachian State in their first away match on Sunday, Aug. 20. The afternoon game is scheduled to start at 1 p.m.