MEN'S SOCCER at Saint Joseph's
WHEN: Saturday, October 19 | 5 p.m.
WHERE: Philadelphia, Pa. | Sweeney Field
RECORDS: George Mason (10-3-0, 4-1-0 A-10); Saint Joseph's (3-10-1, 0-5-0 A-10)
SERIES RECORD: Series tied, 3-3-2
LAST MEETING: The Hawks defeated the Patriots, 3-1, on Sept. 17, 2023 in Philadelphia, 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.

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FAIRFAX, Va. – The George Mason men's soccer team returns to Atlantic 10 play on the road at Saint Joseph's on Saturday, Oct. 19 with the opening kick scheduled for 5 p.m. at Sweeney Field in Philadelphia, Pa.
 
George Mason (10-3-0, 4-1-0 A-10) and Saint Joseph's (3-10-1, 0-5-0 A-10) will meet for the ninth time, with seven of the contests in Atlantic 10 play.  The all-time series is tied, 3-3-2.
 
The Patriots are 2-0-1 at home and 1-2-1 on the road against the Hawks.
 
In the last meeting against the Hawks, the Patriots fell, 3-1, on Sept. 17, 2023 at Sweeney Field in Philadelphia, Pa.

George Mason took the lead over the Hawks in the 20th minute but Saint Joseph's scored three goals (47', 53', 90') in the second half for the victory.  The Hawks outshot the Patriots 17-13, including a 5-4 advantage in shots on goal.  The Patriots registered all four of their shots on goal in the first half, while the Hawks recorded all five of their shots on goal in the second half.
    
Last time out, the Patriots fell to No. 6 Maryland, 2-0, on Tuesday at Ludwig Field in College Park, Md.
 
The Patriots won their first four matches in Atlantic 10 play for the first time since joining the conference in 2013.  George Mason is second in the Atlantic 10 in goals (25) and goals per game (1.92).
 
The Patriots are 4-2-0 on the road with wins at Navy (2-0, Aug. 22), UNCW (1-0, Sept. 10), Massachusetts (2-1, Sept. 21) and La Salle (2-1, Oct. 5).
 
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 nine of their 13 matches this season, including the first goal of the match in the first 28 minutes of play in eight games.
 
Graduate student forward Marek Gonda leads the club in goals (7), points (16) and game winners (3) in 12 games with 10 starts.  He is second on the team in shots on goal (12) and third in shots (25).  Gonda has converted both of his penalty kick attempts.
 
Among A-10 leaders, Gonda is tied for second in game-winners (3), tied for third in goals (7) and tied for fourth in points (16). 
 
Sophomore midfielder Quentin Clain is second on the team in goals (5) and points (13) and tied for second in assists (3) in 13 starts.  He paces the Patriots in shots (34) and shots on goal (16).
 
Among A-10 leaders, Clain is fourth in the league in shots on goal (16), tied for fifth-most in goals (5), fifth in shots (34) and seventh in points (13).
 
Sophomore midfielder James Eliuda is tied for the team lead in assists (4), tied for second in goals (2) and tied for third in points (8) in 13 starts.
 
Freshman forward Martim Sereno is tied for first on the team in assists (4) and is tied for third in both goals (2) and points (8) in 13 games with 12 starts.  He is second on the club in shots (31) and third in shots on goal (7).
 
Graduate student defenders Luis Maestre (12 games/11 starts) and Jordi Navio Sanchez (13 starts) and sophomore forward Javier Montava (13 starts) have also recorded four assists.  Maestre is tied for third in the league in assists (5).
 
Graduate student goalkeeper Jaume Salvado (8-3-0, 2-1-0 A-10) has started 12 matches with a 1.16 GAA, .649 save percentage and four clean sheets.  He has made 24 saves and allowed 13 goals against (1007 minutes).
 
Redshirt sophomore goalkeepers Blake Moness (1-0-0, 1-0-0 A-10, 4 SV, 1.23 GAA) and Jack Desroches (1-0-0, 1-0-0 A-10, 1 SV, 1.00 GAA) have each posted their first collegiate victories this season.
 
SCOUTING SAINT JOSEPH'S
 
Saint Joseph's has a record of 3-10-1 on the season, including a mark of 0-5-0 in Atlantic 10 Conference play.  The Hawks are 3-4-0 at home and 0-6-1 on the road.
 
Last time out, Saint Joseph's scored a pair of goals in the first half and blanked Mount St. Mary's, 2-0, Tuesday at Sweeney Field.  Senior forward Blake Driehuis (15th minute) and junior midfielder Matteo Mazzotta (18th minute) each found the back of the net.
 
The Hawks outshot the Mountaineers, 17-7, including a 7-1 advantage in shots on goal.
 
Saint Joseph's has played two conference games at home, falling 2-0 to Davidson (Sept. 21) and 3-0 to La Salle (Oct. 9).
 
Driehuis leads the team in goals (6), points (9), game-winners (2), shots (26) and shots on goal (9) in 13 starts.
 
Bart Kooistra is second on the club in goals (2), tied for second in points (4) and third in shots (19) in 13 games with 12 starts.
 
Senior goalkeeper Lars Haavie (3-10-1, 1186 MIN, 51 SV, 29 GA, 2.20 GAA, 3 SO) has started all 14 matches and his three victories have been clean sheets. 
 
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 dropped their first home match of the season 2-1 to Duquesne (Oct. 12).  Graduate student forward Marek Gonda converted a header (8th minute) for his seventh goal of the season.
 
George Mason were shutout 2-0 at No. 6 Maryland (Oct. 15) in College Park, Md.

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
 
George Mason joined the Atlantic 10 Conference prior to the start of the 2013 season and faced Saint Joseph's in the first round of the A-10 Tournament on Nov. 14, 2013 at Baujan Field in Dayton, Ohio.
 
The second-seeded Patriots and seventh-seeded Hawks remained scoreless after 110 minutes of play.  George Mason won the match, 4-2, in a penalty kick shootout.
 
The Patriots went on to defeat VCU, 3-2, in the semifinals, and blanked Saint Louis, 1-0, to claim the Atlantic 10 Championship and advance to the NCAA Tournament.