George Mason (6-4, 0-2 A-10) vs. Richmond (6-2, 2-0 Atlantic 10)
WHEN: Wednesday, 5 p.m.
WHERE: George Mason Stadium; Fairfax, Va.
LAST MEETING: Richmond won, 20-7, in Richmond on March 22, 2023
LIVE STATS: LINK
LIVE VIDEO: ESPN+
 
FAIRFAX, Va. – The George Mason women's lacrosse team returns to Fairfax this week after a two-game road-trip to take on nationally-ranked Richmond on Wednesday night.
 
Both teams are coming off of Atlantic 10 games this past Saturday, with Richmond downing Davidson, 15-7, at home. On the other hand, George Mason fell to VCU on the road, 24-12.
 
The Virginia rivals have met 12 times in the series history, with Richmond holding an 8-4 advantage over the Patriots, including the last four meetings. Last season, the Spiders downed Mason, 20-7, in Richmond on March 22.
 
PATRIOT POINTS

• Shannon Tuozzo leads the Patriots with 32 goals and is second the Atlantic 10 with 3.33 goals and 4.11 points per game
• The graduate student also leads the team in points (40), caused turnovers (8), ground balls (21) and is tied for first in draw controls (56)
• Four other Patriots have tallied double-figure goals: Dahlia Trippel (19), Chloe Reed (18), Peyton Farley (17) and Morgan Gunn (16)
• Tuozzo, Farley and Riley Ellis, have dished out a team-high eight assists on the year
• Defensively, Kaitlyn Besick has tallied a team-high eight caused turnovers
• Lauren Distad is tied with Tuozzo for the team-lead in draw controls with 56, and their 5.60 are good for fifth in the Atlantic 10. As a team this season, Mason is winning the draw control battle 153-118

 
SCOUTING THE OPPONENT
The Richmond Spiders sit at No. 24 in this week's IWLCA National Poll and sit at 6-2 overall. Richmond's two losses came bac-to-back to open the month of March to No. 17 Navy and No. 13 Virginia. Since then, however, the Spiders have beat Duquesne and Davidson to open Atlantic 10 action.
 
Seven players have scored 10+ games for the Spiders, led by Colleen Quinn's 21 goals. The junior has tallied four hat tricks this season, including a career-high six goals against the Dukes on March 9. She is also second on the team with 11 assists for a team-best 32 points. Alexis Morton leads the team with 13 assists and is second with 28 total points.
 
On the draw circle, four Spiders have won 20+ draws, led by Clare McCooe's 34. Defensively, Becca Sturtz leads the Spiders with 22 ground balls and 13 caused turnovers, both good for third in the Atlantic 10. After splitting time, Abby Franciolo started the first game of her career against Davidson, playing all 60 minutes in the win and making a career-high 17 saves. The rookie is fourth in the conference with a .466 save percentage.
 
UP NEXT
Mason gets back on the road for a weekend matchup with Duquesne on March 23. Opening draw with the Dukes is set for noon.
 
MORGAN'S MESSAGE GAME
The Patriots will be dedicating tomorrow's game to Morgan's Message. Morgan's Message was established in 2019 to eliminate the stigma surrounding mental health within the student-athlete community and equalize the treatment of physical AND mental health in athletes. The non-profit aims to expand the dialogue on mental health by normalizing conversations, empowering those who suffer in silence, and supporting those who feel alone.