George Mason (6-3, 0-1 A-10) vs. VCU (1-6, 0-1 Atlantic 10)
WHEN: Saturday, 1 p.m.
WHERE: Cary Street Field; Richmond, Va.
LAST MEETING: VCU won, 16-9, in Fairfax. on April 22, 2023
LIVE STATS: LINK
LIVE VIDEO: ESPN+
 
FAIRFAX, Va. – The George Mason women's lacrosse team will look to get back in the win column this weekend when it travels to VCU for another Atlantic 10 matchup.
 
Both teams are coming off of road losses, as the Patriots dropped their non-conference finale at Longwood, 10-7, on Wednesday. The Rams fell to Saint Joseph's in their Atlantic 10 opener, 17-10, last Sunday.
 
All time, VCU holds a 5-3 record over Mason in eight meetings since the teams first met in 2016. After the Patriots won the first three meetings, VCU have rattled off the last five-straight. Mason has not won at VCU since a 23-8 victory in 2018.
 
PATRIOT POINTS

• Shannon Tuozzo leads the Patriots with three goals and is third the Atlantic 10 with 3.33 goals and 4.11 points per game
• The graduate student also leads the team in points (37), caused turnovers (8) and ground balls (19) and is second in draw controls (48)
• Four other Patriots have tallied double-figure goals: Dahlia Trippel (16), Chloe Reed (16), Peyton Farley (16) and Morgan Gunn (14)
• Pacing the offense is Riley Ellis, who has dished out a team-high eight assists on the year
• Defensively, Kaitlyn Besick has tallied a team-high eight caused turnovers
• Lauren Distad leads the team with 52 draw controls, and her 5.78 are good for fourth in the Atlantic 10. As a team this season, Mason is winning the draw control battle 138-94
• Goalkeeper Meghan Deehan made a season-high 10 saves against Longwood in 60 minutes of action

SCOUTING THE RAMS
VCU sits at 1-6 on the season and 0-1 in Atlantic 10 action so far. It has played several notable opponents, including ACC opponent Virginia Tech, previously-ranked Harvard and No. 17 USC. The Rams opened their Atlantic 10 schedule last weekend with a loss to Saint Joseph's on the road. Their lone win came at home against William & Mary two weeks ago, winning 15-8.
 
Offensively, three Rams have scored in double figures: Ashley Karn (14), Mia George (13) and Kelsey McDonnell (11). Karn also leads the team with six assists on the year for a team-high 20 points in 2024. McDonnell is also second on the team with 17 draw controls, while Kiley Kozak has grabbed a team-best 18.
 
Defensively, Casey Murray has filled the stat sheet with a team-high nine caused turnovers and is second with 13 ground balls and fourth with 12 draw controls. Goalkeeper Ahnika Eberl leads the team with 15 ground balls for 2.50 per game (5^th, A-10). Eberl has started all seven games and averages 6.00 saves per game with a .356 save percentage.
 
UP NEXT
The Patriots will return home to play their third-straight Virginia-based team, hosting nationally-ranked Richmond on Wednesday, March 20. Opening draw with the No. 24 Spiders is set for 5 p.m.