MEN'S SOCCER at Navy
WHEN: Thursday, Aug. 22 | 7 p.m.
WHERE: Annapolis, Md. | Glenn Warner Soccer Facility
SERIES RECORD: George Mason leads, 8-6-1
LAST MEETING: The Patriots defeated the Midshipmen, 4-0, on Sept. 11, 2023 at George Mason Stadium.
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FAIRFAX, Va. – The George Mason men's soccer team opens the 2024 season on the road against Navy on Thursday, Aug. 22 with the opening kick scheduled for 7 p.m. at the Glenn Warner Soccer Facility.
George Mason and Navy have met 16 times, with the Patriots holding an 9-4-3 advantage in the all-time series. The Patriots blanked the Midshipmen, 4-0, last season on Sept. 11, 2023 at George Mason Stadium.
Forward Souley Diouf scored two goals, including the eventual game-winner in the 45th minute, with midfielder Brent Fields notching his first NCAA assist on the play.
Midfielder Asparuh Slavov netted his first goal as a Patriot in the 30th minute into the upper right corner from 12 yards out. He also added an assist and led all players with five shots and four shots on goal.
Forward Davis Crittenden tallied his first collegiate goal in the 88th minute, finding the lower right corner from 16 yards out. Goalkeeper Jaume Salvado made two saves to earn his first win in a George Mason uniform.
The Patriots outshot the Midshipmen, 14-6, including a 10-2 advantage in shots on goal. George Mason held the Navy without a shot on goal for the first 75 minutes of the match.
Mason and Navy met for the first time during the 1969 season. The Patriots downed the Midshipmen 7-0 in Bethesda, Md.
SCOUTING NAVY
Navy finished the 2023 season with a 6-8-5 overall record, including a mark of 3-2-4 in Patriot League play. The Midshipmen went 4-2-2 at home, 2-6-2 on the road and 0-0-1 at a neutral site.
The Midshipmen finished with a winning record in league play for the fifth straight year and earned their third straight Patriot League Tournament berth.
The Midshipmen scored 23 goals and surrendered 27 during the 2023 campaign.
Forward Andrew Schug tied for first on the club in game winning goals (2), was second in goals (5), points (10) and shots (32) and third shots on goal (14).
Forward A.J. Schuetz led the team in shots (51) and shots on goal (20), tied for second in assists (3) and was third in goals (3) and points (9).
Goalkeeper Pierce Holbrook started all 19 games during the 2023 season with a 6-8-5 record and seven shutouts. He posted a 1.44 goals against average and .703 save percentage.
Head coach Tim O'Donohue enters his ninth season.
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 Sánchez (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 Leo Lemoine (Pau, France), Jordi Navio Sanchez (Vallirana, Spain) and Matthew Trakszelis (Aurora, Ill.). 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), along with midfielders Thomas DeRoussel (Mason, Ohio) and Javier Montava Ortega (Alcoy, Spain) enter their rookie year with the Green and Gold. Sophomore midfielder Quentin Clain (Villiers le Bel, France) also enters his first year with the Patriots.
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 kick off the regular season on the road against Navy (Aug. 22) in Annapolis, Md. and play the first home match against Delaware (Aug. 30) at George Mason Stadium.
The Patriots continue their season-high, three-match homestand hosting Bucknell (Sept. 3) and Howard (Sept. 7).
George Mason will then play three straight games on the road with matchups against UNCW (Sept. 10) in Wilmington, N.C., Old Dominion (Sept. 15) in Norfolk, Va. and the first Atlantic 10 game of the season at Massachusetts (Sept. 21) in Amherst, Mass.
The Patriots return home for a non-conference match against William & Mary (Sept. 24) and then host A-10 rival George Washington (Sept. 28).
George Mason begins October on the road with a conference contest against La Salle (Oct. 5) in Philadelphia, Pa.
The match against the Explorers is 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 then 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 played 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.
CORNER KICK
Mason and Navy met for the first time during the 1969 season. The Patriots downed the Midshipmen 7-0 in Bethesda, Md.
