MEN'S SOCCER at Massachusetts
WHEN: Saturday, September 21 | 12 p.m.
WHERE: Amherst, Mass. | Rudd Field
RECORDS: George Mason (5-1-0, 0-0-0 Atlantic 10); Massachusetts (4-1-2, 0-0-0 Atlantic 10)
SERIES RECORD: Massachusetts leads, 3-1-0
LAST MEETING: The Minutemen defeated the Patriots, 2-0, on Oct. 6, 2018 in Amherst, Mass.
WATCH ($): ESPN+
LIVE STATS: Click here

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FAIRFAX, Va. – The George Mason men's soccer team opens Atlantic 10 Conference play on the road when they face Massachusetts on Saturday, Sept. 21 with the opening kick scheduled for noon at Rudd Field in Amherst, Mass.
 
George Mason (5-1-0) and UMass (3-1-2) have met just four times, with the Minutemen leading the series, 3-1-0.
 
In the last meeting between the two clubs, the Minutemen scored a pair of goals (3rd and 36th minute) in the first half on the way to a 2-0 victory over the Patriots on Oct. 6 in Amherst, Mass. 
 
Last time out, the Patriots fell to Old Dominion, 1-0, last Sunday at ODU Soccer Stadium in Norfolk, Va.  The Monarchs scored the lone goal of the match in the 83rd minute of play.
 
The Patriots scored the first goal in their first five matches of the season.
 
SCOUTING MASSACHUSETTS
 
Massachusetts has a record of 4-1-2 on the season.  The Minutemen are 2-1-0 at home and 1-0-2 on the road.
 
UMass began the 2024 campaign with two straight 0-0 draws, at Siena (Aug. 22) in Loudonville, N.Y. and at Bryant (Aug. 26) in Smithfield, R.I.
 
The Minutemen dropped their home opener 2-1 to Providence (Sept. 2) at Rudd Field.
 
UMass has won four consecutive matches.  The Minutemen defeated Yale 4-3 (Sept. 7) in New Haven, Conn. and then won back-to-back home games with a 7-1 victory over UMass Lowell (Sept. 11) and a 1-0 shutout over Brown (Sept. 14).
 
Last time out, the Minutemen blanked Dartmouth, 5-0, on Tuesday in Hanover, N.H.  Graduate student forward Alec Hughs recorded a hat trick with goals in the third, sixth and 57th minute.
 
Hughs leads the NCAA in goals (10) and points (21) and is tied for second in the nation in game-winning goals (3).  He leads the Minutemen in shots (33) and shots on goal (15) in seven starts.
 
Sophomore defender Shane Velez is second on the club in goals (3) and points (7) in seven games with four starts.
 
Junior midfielder Matt Cence paces the Minutemen in assists (4) and is second in shots on goal (8) in seven starts.
 
Alex Greczy (4-1-2, 630 minutes, 23 saves) has started all seven matches with a 0.86 goals against average, .800 save percentage and all four of the victories have been clean sheets.  He is tied for second in the nation in shutouts (4).
 
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 fell 1-0 at Old Dominion (Sept. 15) in Norfolk, Va.
 
The Patriots open 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 Massachusetts have met just four times.  The Patriots won the first-ever meeting between the two clubs with a 2-1 victory on Oct. 13, 2013 at George Mason Stadium.