FAIRFAX, Va. – George Mason men's soccer head coach
Rich Costanzo was named Atlantic 10 Conference Coach of the Year, the league announced on Wednesday.
After leading the Patriots to one of the most successful regular seasons in program history, Costanzo becomes the first coach in program history to earn Atlantic 10 Coach of the Year honors. He is the fifth Patriots' coach across sports to earn A-10 Coach of the Year honors since George Mason joined the conference in 2013.
Six Patriots also claimed Atlantic 10 post-season honors including freshman midfielder
Martim Sereno, who was selected to the 12-member All-Rookie Team.
Graduate student
Marek Gonda and sophomore
Quentin Clain were named All-Conference Second Team forwards, sophomore
James Eliuda was tabbed All-Conference Second Team midfielder and graduate student
Luis Maestre and senior
Javi Sánchez earned All-Conference Second Team defender honors.
The six players are the most that the Patriots have had selected to the Atlantic 10 All-Conference Team.
Costanzo, in his third year with the Patriots, guided the club to the 2024 A-10 regular season championship for the first time in program history. George Mason won four straight matches to start conference play and posted six regular season victories in the A-10 for the first time since joining the league in 2013 and earned the top seed in the Atlantic 10 Championship. The Patriots climbed to 13th in the United Soccer Coaches Association poll this season, the first time in 10 years that George Mason has earned a national ranking.
George Mason finished the A-10 regular season third in goals (33) and goals per match (2.2) and tied for the third-fewest goals allowed (17).
On their home pitch, the Patriots finished the regular season 7-1-0, with victories over Delaware (4-2, Aug. 30), Bucknell (1-0, Sept. 3), Howard (4-3, Sept. 7), William & Mary (1-0, Sept. 24), George Washington (5-2, Sept. 28), Loyola Chicago (2-1, Oct. 9) and St. Bonaventure (Oct. 26). On the road, George Mason went 5-2-1 with wins at Navy (2-0, Aug.22), UNCW (1-0, Sept. 10), Massachusetts (2-1, Sept. 21), La Salle (2-1, Oct. 5) and Saint Joseph's (4-1, Oct. 19).
George Mason, receiving votes in the latest United Soccer Coaches poll, was the first Division I program to post 13 victories this season. George Mason has recorded at least 13 wins in a season for the first time since the 2008 campaign.
The Patriots have scored the first goal in 11 of their 17 matches this season, including the first goal of the match in the first 32 minutes of play in 10 games.
Sereno is tied for first on the team in assists (6), tied for third in points (10) and tied for fourth in goals (2) in 17 games with 16 starts. He is second on the club and eighth in the A-10 in shots (39) and also among the league-leaders in assists (6). He is just the seventh Patriot to earn a spot on the A-10 All-Rookie Team.
Gonda, from Schaumburg, Ill., leads the club in goals (8), points (19) and game winners (3) in 16 games with 14 starts. He's second on the team in shots on goal (18) and third in shots. Gonda has converted both of his penalty kick attempts this season.
Among A-10 leaders, Gonda is tied for third in both goals (8) and game-winning goals (3), is tied for fifth in points (19) and is seventh in shots on goal (18).
Clain, a native of Villiers le Bel, France, is second on the team during in goals (5) and points (14) and tied for third in assists (4) in 16 starts. He paces the Patriots in shots (41) and shots on goal (19). He has played all 90 minutes in eight matches and logged the eighth-most minutes of any field player on the team (1294).
Among A-10 leaders, Clain ranks sixth in the league in shots on goal (19) and ranks seventh in shots (41).
Eliuda, from Juba, South Sudan, is tied for second on the club in assists (5) and is fourth in both points (9) and shots (31) in 17 starts. He has played all 90 minutes in 15 matches and logged the most minutes by a field player on the team this season (1505).
Maestre, a native of Elche, Spain, is tied for the team lead in assists (6), is third in points (10) and tied for fourth in goals (2) in 16 games with 15 starts.
Sánchez, from Elche Spain, is tied for third on the club in assists (4) and tied for fifth in points (8) in 16 starts. He has played all 90 minutes in every match this season and has played the third-most minutes of any field player on the team (1440).