MEN'S SOCCER at ODU
WHEN: Sunday, September 15 | 6 p.m.
WHERE: Norfolk, Va. | ODU Soccer Stadium
RECORDS: George Mason (5-0-0, 0-0-0 Atlantic 10); ODU (3-2-1, 0-0-0 Sun Belt Conference)
SERIES RECORD: Series tied, 19-19-3
LAST MEETING: The Patriots and Monarchs played to a 2-2 draw on Sept. 4, 2023 at George Mason Stadium.
WATCH ($): ESPN+
LIVE STATS: Click here

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FAIRFAX, Va. – The George Mason men's soccer team plays the middle game of three straight on the road when they take on Old Dominion on Sunday, Sept. 15 with the opening kick scheduled for 6 p.m. at ODU Soccer Stadium in Norfolk, Va.
 
The Patriots have won their first five matches of the season for the first time since the 2014 campaign.  It's just the seventh time in program history that the Patriots have started a season with at least five straight victories (1981, 1982, 1985, 1991, 2012, 2014, 2024).
 
George Mason (5-0-0) and ODU (3-2-1) have met 41 times, the fifth-most matches against an opponent in program history.  The all-time series is tied 19-19-3.
 
The 10 opponents that the Patriots have faced the most all-time are George Washington (49), William & Mary (48), American (48), James Madison (42), Old Dominion (41), VCU (40), Richmond (35), Virginia (33), UNC Wilmington (32) and Towson (26).
 
The 19 victories against the Monarchs are sixth-most against an opponent in program history.  The Patriots have recorded the most wins in program history against George Washington (27), Richmond (25), UNC-Wilmington (22), American (21) and East Carolina (21). 
 
The last meeting between the two clubs ended in a 2-2 draw Sept. 4, 2023 at George Mason Stadium. 
 
The Patriots netted the equalizer twice in the match.  Henry Wachsman scored from just outside the 18 into the lower right corner (22nd minute) and Souley Diouf found the back of the net from inside the six (57th minute).

Last time out, graduate student forward Marek Gonda scored his first goal as a Patriot, the game-winner, into the lower left corner for the lone tally of the match.  Graduate student defender Luis Maestre and sophomore midfielder Javier Montava each notched an assist.
 
The Patriots have scored the first goal in all five matches.
 
George Mason senior goalkeeper Jaume Salvado improved to 5-0-0 with his third clean sheet of the season. 
   
SCOUTING OLD DOMINION
 
Old Dominion has a record of 3-2-1 through six matches this season.  The Monarchs are 2-0-1 at home and 1-2-0 on the road.
 
ODU began the 2024 campaign with three straight road contests.  The Monarchs defeated George Washington 4-2 (Aug. 22) in Washington, D.C., then fell 3-1 to VCU (Aug. 26) in Richmond, Va. and dropped a 1-0 decision to Campbell (Aug. 29) in Buies Creek, N.C.
 
The Monarchs are unbeaten in their three home matches and have allowed just one goal against.  ODU blanked Radford 1-0 (Sept. 1), played to a 1-1 draw against UMBC (Sept. 6) and downed William & Mary 2-0 (Sept. 10).
 
Sunday's match against the Patriots is the fourth of five consecutive at home for the Monarchs.
 
Graduate student forward Timothy Ennin, junior forward Michael Eberle and sophomore forward William Arnesen have each scored two goals.  Arnesen is tied for the team lead in shots on goal (5) while Eberle is tied for second (4).
 
Junior goalkeeper Michael Statham (540 minutes/26 saves) has started all five games with a 1.17 GAA, .788 save percentage and two clean sheets. 
 
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. Graduate student midfielder Henry Wachsman (22nd minute-GWG) and sophomore midfielder James Eliuda (53rd minute) each scored their first goal of the season.
 
The Patriots played their first home match against Delaware (Aug. 30) and defeated the Blue Hens, 4-2, at George Mason Stadium.  Graduate student defender Leo Lemoine (6th minute), sophomore midfielder Quentin Clain (45th minute) and freshman froward Martim Sereno (60th minute-GWG) each scored their first collegiate goals in the match, while senior midfielder Asparuh Slavov (90th minute) netted his first goal of the season.
 
The Patriots continued their season-high, three-match homestand with a 1-0 win over Bucknell (Sept. 3).  Sophomore midfielder James Eliuda scored his second goal of the season (15th minute-GWG). 
 
George Mason stayed unbeaten with a 4-0 victory over Howard (Sept. 7) in the last match of the homestand.  Freshman forward Martim Sereno scored his second goal of the season (28th minute) and sophomore midfielder Quentin Clain found the back of the net twice, his second and third goals of the season, in less than two minutes late in the first half (37th and 39th minute).  The Patriots took the 4-3 lead on an own goal (88th minute).
 
George Mason played three straight games on the road Sept. 10 through Sept. 21.
 
The Patriots blanked UNCW 1-0 (Sept. 10) in Wilmington, N.C.  Graduate student forward Marek Gonda scored his first goal as a Patriot into the lower left corner (25th minute-GWG).  
 
George Mason visits Old Dominion (Sept. 15) in Norfolk, Va. and the opens Atlantic 10 play 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 and Old Dominion met for the first time during the 1969 season.  The Monarchs defeated he Patriots, 3-2.
 
Mason has faced Old Dominion 41 times, the fifth-most matches against an opponent in program history.
 
The 10 opponents that the Patriots have faced the most all-time are George Washington (49), William & Mary (48), American (48), James Madison (42), Old Dominion (41), VCU (40), Richmond (35), Virginia (33), UNC Wilmington (32) and Towson (26).