MEN'S SOCCER vs. Duquesne
WHEN: Saturday, October 12 | 7 p.m.
WHERE: Fairfax, Va. | George Mason Stadium
RECORDS: George Mason (10-1-0, 4-0-0 A-10); Duquesne (8-2-1, 3-1-0 A-10)
SERIES RECORD: Duquesne leads, 4-1-2
LAST MEETING: The Patriots defeated the Dukes, 1-0, on Oct. 7, 2023 at Rooney Field in Pittsburgh, Pa.
WATCH ($): ESPN+
LIVE STATS: Click here
TICKET INFORMATION: George Mason men's soccer regular season home games will require a ticket for entry. Tickets are $10 and 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. Discounted rates are available for group of 10 or more as well as for George Mason faculty and staff. More information on men's soccer tickets
click here.
FAIRFAX, Va. – The No. 13 George Mason men's soccer team hosts Duquesne on Saturday, Oct. 12 with the opening kick scheduled for 7 p.m. at George Mason Stadium.
George Mason (10-1-0, 4-0-0 A-10) and Duquesne (8-2-1, 3-1-0 A-10) will meet for the eighth time.
The Patriots have won their first four matches in Atlantic 10 play for the first time since joining the conference and are currently in first place as the only unbeaten and untied team in the league (4-0-0, 12 points). The Dukes are in second place in the conference (3-1-0, 9 points).
Among Atlantic 10 teams, the Patriots rank third in both goals (24) and goals per game (2.1), while the Dukes are fifth in goals (17) and goals per game (1.5).
The Patriots have won their last five matches and are perfect at home with a record of 6-0-0 at George Mason Stadium, outscoring opponents by a combined score of 17-8.
In last year's meeting, the Patriots blanked the Dukes, 1-0, on Oct. 7, 2023 at Rooney Field in Pittsburgh, Pa.
Defender
Kelly Janssen scored the lone goal of the match early in the second half (56th minute) and goalkeeper
Jaume Salvado made four saves.to lift the Patriots to their first-ever win over the Dukes in eight meetings.
Duquesne outshot Mason, 17-9, while the Patriots finished with a 6-4 advantage in shots on goal. The Dukes had 12 corner kicks and the Patriots had three corner kicks in the match.
Last time out, George Mason graduate student defender
Leo Lemoine (67th minute) and senior defender
Javi Sánchez (73rd minute) scored goals in the second half to propel the No. 13 Patriots to a 2-1 victory over Loyola University Chicago in the first-ever meeting between the two teams. George Mason redshirt sophomore goalkeeper
Jack Desroches (1-0-0, 1-0-0 A-10) earned his first collegiate win in his NCAA debut.
The Patriots outshot the Ramblers, 15-9, including a 5-2 advantage in shots on goal. Loyola had five corner kicks and George Mason finished with three corner kicks in the match.
George Mason has recorded at least 10 wins in a season for the first time since 2014.
The Patriots have scored the first goal in eight of their 11 matches this season, including the first goal of the match in the first 28 minutes of play in seven games.
Graduate student forward
Marek Gonda leads the club in goals (6), points (14) and game winners (3) in 10 games with eight starts. He is second on the team in shots on goal (11) and third in shots (21). Gonda has converted both of his penalty kick attempts.
Among A-10 leaders, Gonda is tied for first in game-winners (3), tied for third in goals (6) and is third in points (14).
Sophomore midfielder
Quentin Clain is second on the team in goals (5) and points (13) and tied for second in assists (3) in 11 starts. He paces the Patriots in shots (30) and shots on goal (15).
Among A-10 leaders, Clain is third in the league in shots on goal (15), tied for fourth in goals (5), tied for fourth in points (13) and fifth in shots (30).
Sophomore midfielder
James Eliuda is tied for the team lead in assists (4), tied for second in goals (2) and ranks third in points (8) in 11 starts.
Freshman forward
Martim Sereno is tied for first on the team in assists (4), tied for third in goals (2) and is fourth in points (7) in 11 games with 10 starts. He is second on the club in shots (29) and third in shots on goal (7).
Graduate student defender
Jordi Navio Sanchez (11 starts), senior defender
Javi Sánchez (10 starts) and sophomore forward
Javier Montava (11 starts) have also recorded four assists.
Jordi Navio Sanchez, Eliuda, Montava and Sereno are tied for third in the A-10 in assists (4).
Graduate student goalkeeper
Jaume Salvado (8-1-0, 2-0-0 A-10) has started 10 matches with a 0.98 GAA, .690 save percentage and four clean sheets. He has made 20 saves and allowed nine goals against (827 minutes).
Redshirt sophomore goalkeepers
Blake Moness (1-0-0, 1-0-0 A-10, 4 SV, 1.23 GAA) and classmate
Jack Desroches (1-0-0, 1-0-0 A-10, 1 SV, 1.00 GAA) have each posted victories in their collegiate debut over the last two matches.
SCOUTING DUQUESNE
Duquesne has a record of 8-2-1 on the season, including a mark of 3-1-0 in Atlantic 10 Conference play. The Dukes are 6-0-0 at home and 2-2-1 on the road.
Last time out, Duquesne scored three goals in the second half to defeat Rhode Island, 3-0, at Rooney Field in Pittsburgh, Pa. The Dukes outshot the Rams, 18-10, including an 8-3 advantage in shots on goal.
In A-10 play, Duquesne blanked George Washington 1-0 in Washington, D.C. (Sept. 21), posted a 2-1 win at home over Saint Joseph's (Sept. 28) and shutout Rhode Island 3-0 at home (Oct. 9). The Dukes fell 3-0 at Saint Louis (Oct. 5).
Both of Duquesne's losses have been by 3-0 scores (at Robert Morris Sept 17 and at Saint Louis Oct. 5). The Dukes played to a 1-1 draw at then-No. 23 Notre Dame in South Bend, Ind. (Sept. 10).
Senior forward Maxi Hopfer leads the club in goals (5), points (15), game-winners (3) and shots on goal (11) in 11 games with nine starts.
Sophomore midfielder Jaxon Ervin leads the team in assists (4) and shots (16), is second in both points (8) and shots on goal (9) and tied for second in goals (2) in 11 games with 10 starts.
Senior goalkeeper Zoltan Nagy (7-2-1, 945 MIN, 41 SV, 11 GA, 1.05 GAA, 4 SO) has started 11 matches. He is second in the A-10 in saves (41) and fifth in saves per game (3.73).
ABOUT THE PATRIOTS
The Patriots have 21 returners and 10 newcomers on the roster heading into the 2024 season under third-year head coach
Rich Costanzo (Maryland, '08).
Assistant coaches
Noel Orozco (St. Bonaventure, '17) and
Michael Callahan (North Carolina, '08) also enter their third year with the Patriots.
Graduate students returning from last year's squad are midfielders
Luis Maestre (Elche, Spain) and
Henry Wachsman (Barrington, Ill.), defender
Noah McGrath (Melbourne, Australia) and goalkeeper
Jaume Salvado (Barcelona, Spain).
Returning seniors include forward
Gabriel Silveira (Concordia, Brazil), midfielder
Asparuh Slavov (Easton, Pa.) and defenders
Ahmed Mohamed (Cairo, Egypt) and Javi Sanchez (Elche, Spain).
Returning juniors are midfielders
Erick Kilosho (Roanoke, Va.) and
Nicholas Prioli (Houston, Texas) along with defenders
Will Carson (Wheeling, W.Va.) and
Joshua Morrobel (Burke, Va.).
George Mason has eight returning sophomores on the roster with forwards
Davis Crittenden (Newport News, Va.),
Kelly Janssen (Sebastopol, Calif.) and
Abdul Kamara (Woodbridge, Va.), midfielders
James Eliuda (Juba, South Sudan) and
Brent Fields (Alexandria, Va.), defender
David Garcia (Woodbridge, Va.) and goalkeepers
Jack Desroches (Virginia Beach, Va.) and
Blake Moness (Toronto, Ontario, Canada).
The Patriots added five transfers during the offseason including graduate student forward
Marek Gonda (Schaumburg, Ill.) and graduate student defenders
Jordi Navio Sanchez (Vallirana, Spain),
Matthew Trakszelis (Aurora, Ill.) and
Leo Lemoine (Pau, France). Junior defender
Zayyan Ahmed (Leesburg, Va.) also enters his first year with the Patriots.
Four freshmen enter their first year with the Patriots. Forwards
Gianluca Franco (Clermont, Fla.) and
Martim Sereno (Mira de Aire, Portugal), midfielders Quintin Clain (Villiers le Bel, France) and
Thomas DeRoussel (Mason, Ohio). Sophomore midfielder
Javier Montava Ortega (Alcoy, Spain) enters his first year with the Green and Gold.
PATRIOTS SCHEDULE
George Mason will play 16 regular season games, a slate that includes eight matches against Atlantic 10 opponents and eight games at George Mason Stadium.
Head coach
Rich Costanzo begins his third season after being named the Patriots' 11th men's soccer coach in program history.
The Green and Gold kicked off the regular season on the road against Navy (Aug. 22) with a 2-0 win over the Midshipmen in Annapolis, Md. Graduate student midfielder
Henry Wachsman (22nd minute-GWG) and sophomore midfielder
James Eliuda (53rd minute) each scored their first goal of the season.
The Patriots played their first home match against Delaware (Aug. 30) and defeated the Blue Hens, 4-2, at George Mason Stadium. Graduate student defender
Leo Lemoine (6th minute), sophomore midfielder
Quentin Clain (45th minute) and freshman froward
Martim Sereno (60th minute-GWG) each scored their first collegiate goals in the match, while senior midfielder
Asparuh Slavov (90th minute) netted his first goal of the season.
The Patriots continued their season-high, three-match homestand with a 1-0 win over Bucknell (Sept. 3). Sophomore midfielder
James Eliuda scored his second goal of the season (15th minute-GWG).
George Mason stayed unbeaten with a 4-0 victory over Howard (Sept. 7) in the last match of the homestand. Freshman forward
Martim Sereno scored his second goal of the season (28th minute) and sophomore midfielder
Quentin Clain found the back of the net twice, his second and third goals of the season, in less than two minutes late in the first half (37th and 39th minute). The Patriots took the 4-3 lead on an own goal (88th minute).
George Mason played three straight games on the road Sept. 10 through Sept. 21.
The Patriots blanked UNCW 1-0 (Sept. 10) in Wilmington, N.C. Graduate student forward
Marek Gonda scored his first goal as a Patriot into the lower left corner (25th minute-GWG).
George Mason fell 1-0 at Old Dominion (Sept. 15) in Norfolk, Va.
The Patriots opened Atlantic 10 play at Massachusetts (Sept. 21) with a 2-1 victory over the Minutemen in Amherst, Mass.
Graduate student forward
Marek Gonda (74th minute – GWG) and graduate student defender
Luis Maestre (60th minute) each found the back of the net.
The Patriots returned home for a non-conference match against William & Mary (Sept. 24) and defeated the Tribe, 1-0. Junior midfielder
Nicholas Prioli scored his first goal of the season (18th minute-GWG) to lift the Patriots to the victory.
George Mason scored three goals in the second half to down rival George Washington (Sept. 28), 5-2. Patriots graduate student forward
Marek Gonda (32nd minute and 85th minute) and sophomore midfielder
Quentin Clain (77th minute-GWG and 84th minute) each scored two goals, while graduate student midfielder
Henry Wachsman scored his second goal of the season (42nd minute).
George Mason began October with a 2-1 road victory over La Salle (Oct. 5) in Philadelphia, Pa. Graduate student forward
Marek Gonda scored two goals (49th minute PK, 83rd minute-GWG) in the second half to lift the Patriots to their fourth straight win.
The match against the Explorers was the first of six that the Patriots will play in October, with three at home and three on the road in the month.
The Patriots defeated Loyola University Chicago (Oct. 9) 2-1 at George Mason Stadium. Graduate student defender
Leo Lemoine (67th minute) and senior defender
Javi Sánchez (73rd minute-GWG) both scored goals in the second half to propel the No. 13 Patriots to the victory.
The Patriots host Duquesne (Oct. 12).
George Mason travels for a non-conference matchup against Maryland (Oct. 15) in College Park, Md. and the Patriots return to league play at Saint Joseph's (Oct. 19) in Philadelphia, Pa.
George Mason plays its final home game of the regular season against St. Bonaventure (Oct. 26) and concludes the regular season on the road against in-state rival VCU (Nov. 2).
Prior to the start of the regular season, the Patriots will play exhibition games at home against American (Aug. 11) and Loyola-Md. (Aug. 17).
TICKET INFORMATION
George Mason men's soccer regular season home games will require a ticket for entry. Tickets are $10 and 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. Discounted rates are available for group of 10 or more as well as for George Mason faculty and staff. More information on men's soccer tickets can be found
here.
CORNER KICK
Duquesne is one of the Atlantic 10 teams that Mason has played the least since joining the league in 2013.
The Patriots and Dukes have met seven times with Duquesne holding a 4-1-2 advantage in the all-time series.
George Mason and Duquesne met for the first time 24 years ago, with the Dukes recording a 1-0 win at George Mason stadium on Sept. 3, 1999.
