GEORGE MASON (0-2-0) @ EAST CAROLINA (0-1-1)
WHEN: Thursday, August 24 @ 7 p.m.
WHERE: Greenville, N.C. | Johnson Stadium
WATCH: ESPN+
LIVE STATS: Click Here
HISTORY: Mason leads the all-time series 8-4-0 | Last played each other on Sept. 28, 2022, where East Carolina won 2-1 in Fairfax, Va.

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GREENVILLE, N.C. – The George Mason women's soccer team will be on the road for the second consecutive game, as they will face East Carolina on Thursday, Aug. 24 in Greenville, N.C., at Johnson Stadium. This will be the second straight year that the Patriots and Pirates will play each other and the first time since 2019 that Mason will play at East Carolina's home field. This will also be East Carolina's first home game of the season.

LAST TIME OUT
Mason lost to Appalachian State 3-0 in Sunday afternoon's matchup in Boone, N.C. The Mountaineers scored one goal in the first half and added two more goals is in the second half. This was the first time the Mountaineers have defeated the Patriots in head-to-head action.

Patriot freshmen defenders Eliana Davin and Aria Hicks made their collegiate debuts in Sunday's game. Hicks went into the game in the first half, while Davin first saw action in the second half.

Sophomores Rachel Eberly and Sophie Davidson recorded shots on goal in Sunday's game, but they were both saved by the Appalachian State goalkeeper.

SCOUTING EAST CAROLINA
Last season, the Pirates finished with an overall record of 8-8-3, while going 3-3-2 in the American Athletic Conference. In the conference tournament, the #5 Pirates lost to #4 Memphis 1-0 in the first round. 
 
East Carolina is coming into their Thursday home opener with a 0-1-1 record. They opened the season with a 2-0 loss at Florida on Aug. 17 and played North Florida to a scoreless draw on Aug. 20 in Jacksonville.

Senior goalkeeper Maeve English is returning for the Pirates. The local Greenville, N.C., native started all 19 games last season, recorded seven shutouts and made 59 saves. In the American Athletic Conference, she was ranked fourth in shutouts, fifth in saves and sixth in saves per game (3.11).

Senior forward Sydney Schnell is another key returner for the Pirates. She was third on the team last season in points scored (5) points and was tied for the lead in assists (3). The Kent Island, Md., native also had one goal last year.

Lindsey Aiken, a returning junior defender, also led the team with assists (3).

HISTORY WITH THE PIRATES
Mason's first-ever game against East Carolina was the Pirates' inaugural game on September 4, 1994, when the Patriots swamped the Pirates 13-0. Not to be outdone, the 1995 Patriots beat the Pirates again 14-0, a record that still stands today as the largest margin of victory in the history of George Mason Women's Soccer. Mason leads the head-to-head matchups against East Carolina with an 8-4-0 record.

The last time Mason beat East Carolina was on September 2, 2018, when the Patriots won 2-1 at home. The two teams played each other in Greenville back in 2019; however, the game was canceled after the first half due to bad weather conditions. The Patriots and Pirates last played each other last season in Fairfax. The score was tied 1-1 for the last 28 minutes of the game until the Pirates scored a 90th minute go-ahead goal to steal the victory.

 
UP NEXT
The Patriots will return to George Mason Stadium and play their second home game of the season this Sunday, Aug. 27, as they will host #5 Virginia in an evening game. Kickoff is scheduled for 6 p.m. and can be watched on ESPN+.
 
A LOOK AT 2023 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.