Fairfax, Va. -- Rich Costanzo never blinked.  Upon being named the new head coach of the George Mason men's soccer program in April 2022, the first-time head coach inherited a team that finished a combined 4-18-5 in the two previous seasons – which included an abbreviated COVID spring season in which the Patriots had gone winless (0-6-3).
 
Undaunted, Costanzo did what he always does when accepting a new challenge: he went straight to work. He immediately hired his coaching staff, surveyed the transfer portal for new talent, and connected with the Northern Virginia community. In addition, he utilized his international connections to bring earnest, mature, and talented foreign players to Fairfax.
 
Now three years into his tenure, Costanzo has the Patriots primed for an NCAA Tournament at-large bid after leading the Patriots to 13 wins en route to their first Atlantic 10 regular season championship in program history.  The Patriots climbed as high as 13th in the United Soccer Coaches Association poll this season, the first time in a decade that George Mason earned a national ranking.
 
"Rich was the perfect match for George Mason," said decorated Maryland head coach Sasho Cirovski, who coached Costanzo from 2006-08. "The Mason program was a bit stagnant – but I had coached against them when it was rolling under (Mason men's soccer head coach) Gordon Bradley in the 90s, and I was supremely confident that Rich's energy, experience, and passion would lead Mason back to new heights."

"Rich was a home run hire for George Mason, Jay Vidovich, Head Men's Soccer Coach, Pittsburgh Panthers. "He is a great competitor and coach and has made his players better. This is just the start for Mason. Under  Rich's direction - they will continue to grow and thrive as a program."

Graduate midfielder Henry Wachsman has been with Costanzo for each of his three seasons in Fairfax. He shared that Costanzo remained consistent in his approach as he watched the program evolve into a regular-season championship because of his head coach's steady leadership and unwavering commitment.
 
"We have great trust in Rich, and he has the same trust in us," said Wachsman.  "We are perfectly prepared for each match – and that is because Rich and the staff have placed us in a position to win. Rich has taught us the importance of good discipline, high character, and how to develop into winners."
 
Marvin Lewis, the assistant vice president and director of athletics at George Mason, was familiar with Costanzo's many accomplishments as an assistant at Pittsburgh, Army, as well as his time serving as a captain during his senior season for the aforementioned 2008 Maryland squad that captured the NCAA Division I National Championship and ACC Championship.
 
"Rich is a proven winner and has made an indelible mark at each stop in his career," said Lewis. "He has changed our George Mason men's soccer culture and energized our program.  His team plays a very exciting and innovative brand of soccer.  The excitement has resonated with our Northern Virginia community, and Rich and his program have made important grassroots connections with our youth soccer leagues, Mason students, and campus community."
 
The Patriots have played an integral role in the A-10 men's soccer conference's vastly improved profile this season. Five A-10 programs have an RPI ranking within the Top 40 nationally, and the league is poised to have at least three programs in the NCAA Tournament for the first time since 2017.
 
One of the programs poised for an NCAA bid, UMASS, lost a home match, 2-1, to the eventual regular season champions, the Patriots.
 
"This is a highly-competitive conference with very talented teams," said Costanzo, who was recently named the A-10 Coach of the Year. "We have come very far to turn this program around and win the regular season championship."
 
Monday's NCAA selection show will determine George Masons fate – but let's reflect on what has been proudly accomplished since the Green & Gold laced it up for their first match in the last week of August.

"Our program had a lot of first this year," said Costanzo. "First regular season A-10 title in program history. First program in the nation to reach 13 wins.  And the first program to be nationally-ranked in 10 years at George Mason.
 
"We have a top team and we hope for an opportunity to compete and represent our university in the NCAA Tournament. I am very proud of our team, the coaching staff, and the standard we have established.