MEN'S SOCCER vs Delaware
WHEN: Friday, Aug. 30 | 7 p.m.
WHERE: Fairfax, Va. | George Mason Stadium
RECORDS: George Mason (1-0-0, 0-0-0 A10); Delaware (2-0-0, 0-0-0 CAA)
SERIES RECORD: Mason leads, 9-2-2
LAST MEETING: The Patriots defeated the Blue Hens, 3-1, on Oct. 24, 2023 at Grant Stadium in Newark, Del.
WATCH ($): ESPN+
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FAIRFAX, Va. – The George Mason men's soccer team hosts Delaware in the home opener on Friday, Aug. 30 with the opening kick scheduled for 7 p.m. at George Mason Stadium.
Last season, the Patriots downed Delaware, 3-1, on Oct. 24, 2023 at Grant Stadium in Newark, Del. The matchup between the two clubs was the first in 11 years.
Forward
Souley Diouf (21st minute), defender
Luis Maestre (36th minute) and defender Javi Sanchez each found the back of the net for the Patriots. Midfielder
Nicholas Prioli notched a pair of assists in the match.
The Patriots outshot the Blue Hens, 10-9, including an 4-3 advantage in shots on goal. Delaware had eight corner kicks while Mason had three corner kicks in the match.
George Mason has a record of 5-1-1 at home and 4-1-1 on the road against Delaware.
In this year's season opener, the George Mason defeated Navy, 2-0, last Thursday at Glenn Warner Soccer Facility in Annapolis, Md.
The Patriots (1-0-0) took the lead in the 22nd minute of play when graduate student midfielder
Henry Wachsman scored the eventual game-winning goal with a header. Sophomore midfielder
James Eliuda made it 2-0 in the 53rd minute when he found the back of the net from six yards out.
Graduate student defenders
Luis Maestre and
Jordi Navio Sanchez, sophomore midfielder
Javier Montava and freshman forward
Martim Sereno each recorded an assist in the match. Graduate student goalkeeper
Jaume Salvado (1-0-0) made one save to earn the win.
George Mason outshot Navy, 15-10, including a 6-1 advantage in shots on goal.
SCOUTING DELAWARE
Delaware finished the 2024 season with a 9-4-6 overall record, including a mark of 3-2-3 in Coastal Athletic Association (CAA) play. The Blue Hens went 5-2-2 at home, 4-2-3 on the road and 0-0-1 at a neutral site.
Delaware defeated fifth-seeded Drexel on penalty kicks in the opening round of the 2023 CAA Tournament in Hempstead, N.Y. The Blue Hens then fell to top-seeded Hofstra, 4-1.
The Blue Hens have won their first two games of the 2024 campaign.
Delaware blanked Howard, 3-0, on Thursday, Aug. 22 at Grant Stadium in Newark, Del. Freshman forward Marius Stenner scored two goals and added an assist in his collegiate debut. Graduate Student forward Sam Donnellan also found the back of the net for the Blue Hens.
On Monday, the Blue Hens topped Rutgers, 4-1, in Piscataway, N.J. Junior forward Mikey Johnson scored three goals in the second half, while senior goalkeeper Adam Vik (2-0-0) made six saves to earn the win.
Stenner was named CAA Co-Offensive Player of the Week after his performance against Howard, the league announced Monday.
Last season, Donnellan led Delaware in goals (10), points (24), shots (40) and shots on goal (21) in 19 games with 18 starts. Forward Carlos Fernandez was second in goals (9), points (20), shots (38) and shots on goals (17) in 19 games with 18 starts in 2023.
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 Sanchez (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
Jordi Navio Sanchez (Vallirana, Spain),
Matthew Trakszelis (Aurora, Ill.) and
Leo Lemoine (Pau, France). 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), midfielders Quintin Clain (Villiers le Bel, France) and
Thomas DeRoussel (Mason, Ohio). Sophomore midfielder
Javier Montava Ortega (Alcoy, Spain) enters his first year with the Green and Gold.
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 kicked off the regular season on the road against Navy (Aug. 22) with a 2-0 win over the Midshipmen in Annapolis, Md. Goals by graduate student midfielder
Henry Wachsman in the 22
nd minute (GWG) and sophomore midfielder
James Eliuda in the 53rd minute.
The Patriots will 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 play 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
George Mason has an all-time record of 9-2-2 against Delaware. The two teams met 11 times as members of the Colonial Athletic Conference from 2002 through 2012 with the Patriots going 7-2-2 against the Blue Hens in those matchups.
