MEN'S SOCCER vs. Loyola University Chicago
WHEN: Wednesday, October 9 | 7 p.m.
WHERE: Fairfax, Va. | George Mason Stadium
RECORDS: No. 13 George Mason (9-1-0, 3-0-0 A-10); Loyola University Chicago (1-7-2, 0-2-1 A-10)
SERIES RECORD: First meeting between the two clubs
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 thirteenth-ranked George Mason men's soccer team opens a two-match homestand, hosting Loyola Universtiy Chicago on Wednesday, Oct. 9 with the opening kick scheduled for 7 p.m. at George Mason Stadium.

The Patriots are ranked nationally for the second straight week, moving up seven spots in the United Soccer Coaches poll this week.  George Mason is one of only three clubs in the United Soccer Coaches top-25 with at least nine victories (No. 1 Pittsburgh 10-1-0, No. 2 Ohio State 9-0-2).  The Patriots are ranked 21st in the Top Drawer Soccer poll and are eighth in the NCAA RPI rankings.
 
George Mason (9-1-0, 3-0-0 A-10) and Loyola-Chicago (1-7-2, 0-2-1 A-10) will meet for the first time.
 
The Patriots are in first place in the Atlantic 10 and are the only unbeaten and untied team in the league. 
 
George Mason is perfect at home with a record of 5-0-0 at George Mason Stadium, outscoring opponents by a combined score of 15-7.  Among Atlantic 10 teams, the Patriots ranks third in both goals (22) and goals per game (2.2).
 
The game against the Ramblers is the second of six that the Patriots are playing in October, with three at home (Loyola-Chicago, Duquesne, St. Bonaventure) and two more on the road (Maryland, St. Joseph's) in the month.
 
Last time out, George Mason graduate student forward Marek Gonda scored two goals in the second half to lift the Patriots to their fourth straight win with a 2-1 victory over La Salle on Saturday night at McCarthy Stadium in Philadelphia, Pa.
 
Gonda converted a penalty kick in the 49th minute and tallied his third game-winner of the season in the 83rd minute.  He has scored five goals over the last three games, including two goals in each of the last two matches.  Gonda was named Atlantic 10 Co-Offensive Player of the Week.
 
Graduate student defender Jordi Navio Sanchez notched his fourth assist, while freshman forward Martim Sereno picked up his third assist of the season.
 
Redshirt sophomore goalkeeper Blake Moness (1-0-0, 1-0-0 A-10, 72 MIN, 1.23 GAA, .800%) took over in net in the 18th minute and made four saves to earn his first collegiate win in his NCAA debut. 
 
Gonda leads the club in goals (6), points (14) and game winners (3) in nine games with seven starts.  He is second on the team in shots on goal (9) and third in shots.  Gonda has converted both of his penalty kick attempts.

Among A-10 leaders, Gonda is tied for first in game-winners (3), tied for second in goals (6) and is third in points (14). 
 
Sophomore midfielder Quentin Clain is second on the team in goals (5) and points (12) in 10 starts.  He paces the Patriots in shots on goal (15) and is second in shots (27).  Clain is third in the league in shots on goal (15), tied for third in goals (5), tied for fifth in points (12) and tied for sixth in shots (27).
 
Sereno is tied for third on the team in goals (2), tied for second in assists (3) and is fourth in points (7) in 10 games with nine starts.  He leads the club in shots (29) and is third in shots on goal (7).
 
Sophomore midfielder James Eliuda is tied for the team lead in assists (4), is tied for second in goals (2) and ranks third in points (8) in 10 starts.
 
Sophomore forward Javier Montava (10 starts) and Jordi Navio Sanchez (10 starts) have also recorded four assists. 
 
Jordi Navio Sanchez, Eliuda, Montava and Sereno are tied for second in the A-10 in assists (4).
 
Graduate student goalkeeper Jaume Salvado (8-1-0, 2-0-0 A-10) has started all 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).

The Patriots have scored the first goal in eight of their 10 matches this season, including the first goal of the match in the first 28 minutes of play in seven games.
 
SCOUTING LOYOLA
 
Loyola has a record of 1-7-2 on the season, including a mark of 0-2-1 in Atlantic 10 Conference play.  The Ramblers are 1-2-1 at home and 0-5-1 on the road.
 
The Ramblers defeated Wright State (Sept. 5), 4-2, at Loyola Soccer Park in Chicago, Ill. in their fourth match of the season.
 
Last time out, Loyola dropped its home match to Rhode Island, 1-0, last Saturday.  The Rams scored the lone goal of the game in the 77th minute. 
 
Loyola outshot Rhode Island 23-7, including a 7-2 advantage in shots on goal.  The Ramblers had 10 corner kicks in the match while the Rams earned just one.
 
In A-10 play, Loyola played to a 2-2 home draw with Dayton (Sept. 21), dropped a 2-1 decision at Saint Louis (Sept. 28) and was blanked 1-0 at home by Rhode Island (Oct. 5).
 
Freshman midfielder Luka Ivancic leads the team in goals (3), points (7), shots (22) and shots on goal (7) in 10 games with nine starts.
 
Junior forward Hugo Urdiales is tied for second on the club in goals (2) and assists (2) and is second in points (6) in 10 games with seven starts.  He is third on the team in shots (11) and shots on goal (4).
 
Sophomore goalkeeper Aidan Crawford (1-6-2, 810 MIN, 1.56 GAA) has started nine matches.  He has made 22 saves and allowed 14 goals against.
 
Sophomore goalkeeper Alex Ortiz (0-1-0, 90 MIN, 3.00 GAA) has started one match.
 
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 will host Loyola-Chicago (Oct. 9) and 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.