MEN'S SOCCER vs. #7 Pittsburgh (Exhibition)
WHEN: Friday, Aug. 15 | 7:30 p.m.
WHERE: Fairfax, Va. | George Mason Stadium
2024 RECORDS: George Mason (13-4-1, 6-1-1 A10); Pittsburgh (14-6-0, 6-2-0 ACC)
FAIRFAX, Va. – The George Mason men's soccer team hosts No. 7 Pittsburgh in an exhibition match on Friday, August 15 with the opening kick scheduled for 7:30 p.m. at George Mason Stadium. Admission is free.
Head coach
Rich Costanzo enters his fourth season with the Patriots. He was named Atlantic 10 Coach of the Year last season after leading the Patriots to one of the most successful regular seasons in program history. Costanzo is the fifth Patriots' coach across all sports named A-10 Coach of the Year since George Mason joined the conference in 2013.
Costanzo guided the club Atlantic 10 regular season title for the first time in program history in 2024. The Patriots finished the season 13-4-1 overall, won seven of eight matches at home in the regular season, went 6-1-1 in conference play to post six wins in the A-10 regular season for the first time, and after earning the top-seed in the A-10 Championship, advanced to the semifinals of the conference tournament.
The Patriots climbed to 13th in the United Soccer Coaches Association poll, the first time in 10 years that George Mason has been in the national rankings. The Patriots finished the A-10 regular season third in both goals (33) and goals per match (2.2) and tied for the third-fewest goals allowed (17).
Six Patriots earned Atlantic 10 post-season honors, including freshman midfielder
Martim Sereno, who was selected to the 12-member All-Rookie Team.
Quentin Clain was named All-Conference Second Team forward and
James Eliuda was tabbed All-Conference Second Team midfielder.
SCOUTING PITTSBURGH
Pittsburgh finished the 2024 season with a 14-6-0overall record, including a mark of 6-2-0 in Atlantic Coast Conference (ACC) play. The Panthers went 9-4-0 at home and 5-2-0 on the road.
The Panthers enter the 2025 season ranked seventh nationally in the United Soccer Coaches Poll.
Pittsburgh won the ACC regular season title for the first time in program history and reached the national quarterfinals for the fourth time in the past five years.
The Panthers were the No. 2 overall seed in the 2024 NCAA Tournament after recording six Quad 1 wins. Pitt posted a mark of 5-0-0 against ranked opponents and notched a win against four of the top 16 national seeds in the regular season, including No. 3 Denver and No. 4 Georgetown.
The Panthers reached the NCAA Tournament for the sixth straight year, the second-longest active streak in the ACC behind Wake Forest.
In the NCAA Tournament, Pittsburgh defeated 15th seeded Cornell, 1-0, in the second round and then beat Kansas City, 3-2, in overtime to advance to the quarterfinals. The Panthers then fell to the eventual national champion Vermont, 2-0.
Panthers head coach Jay Vidovich was named ACC Coach of the Year, and defender Casper Svendby was selected ACC Defensive Player of the Year.
ABOUT THE PATRIOTS
The Patriots have 14 returners and 13 newcomers on the roster heading into the 2025 season under fourth-year head coach
Rich Costanzo (Maryland, '08).
Assistant coaches
Noel Orozco (St. Bonaventure, '17) and
Michael Callahan (North Carolina, '08) also enter their fourth year with the Patriots.
Graduate students returning from last year's squad are defenders
Leo Lemoine (Pau, France), Javi Sanchez (Elche, Spain) and
Jordi Navio Sanchez (Vallirana, Spain) along with goalkeeper
Jaume Salvado (Barcelona, Spain).
Returning for his senior junior year is defender
Will Carson (Wheeling, W.Va.).
Junior returners include goalkeeper
Jack Desroches (Virginia Beach, Va.), defender
David Garcia (Woodbridge, Va.), midfielders
James Eliuda (Juba, South Sudan),
Brent Fields (Alexandria, Va.),
Quentin Clain (Villiers le Bel, France) and
Javier Montava (Alcoy, Spain) along with forwards
Abdul Kamara (Woodbridge, Va.) and
Kelly Janssen (Sebastopol, Calif.).
Forward
Martim Sereno (Mira de Aire, Portugal) enters his sophomore season.
The Patriots added eight transfers during the offseason. Graduate students entering their first year with the Patriots are goalkeeper
Fernando Carreon Garcia (Saltillo, Mexico), defender
Elijah Jackson (Summerfield, N.C.), midfielders Sergio Fernandez (Villanueva del Pardillo, Spain) and
Kenzo Brito (Sao Paulo, Brazil), and forwards
Jacobo Sanfeliu (Barcelona, Spain) and
Nacho Diaz Barragan (al Maria, Spain).
Senior midfielder
Mouhamed Tucker (Dakar, Senegal) and junior defender
Yannick Mambo (Kinshasa, Congo) also enter their first year at George Mason.
Five freshmen enter their first year with the Patriots. Forward
Cristian Ramos (Lorton, Va.), midfielders
John Balkey (Leesburg, Va.) and
Alen Kapetanovic (Nyack, N.Y.), and forwards
Tresz McLeod (Wheeling, W.Va.) and
Jaime Godinho (Lisbon, Portugal).
PATRIOTS SCHEDULE
The George Mason is scheduled to play 15 regular season games, a slate that includes four matches against College Cup teams, eight matches against Atlantic 10 opponents and eight games at George Mason Stadium.
Head coach
Rich Costanzo begins his fourth season. He guided the Patriots to a 13-4-1 overall record last season and a 6-1-1 mark in conference play to claim the first-ever Atlantic 10 Regular Season title in program history. George Mason recorded six A-10 wins in the regular season for the first time since joining the league in 2013.
In the regular season, George Mason will play two matches in August, six in September and October and one in November.
The Patriots will play a pair of exhibition matches, facing Maryland on the road (Aug. 9, 7 p.m.) and Pittsburgh at George Mason Stadium (Aug. 15, 7 p.m.).
The Terrapins defeated Long Island University, 5-2, in the NCAA tournament before falling to Wake Forest, 2-1. The Panthers won two games in last year's NCAA tournament with a 1-0 victory over Cornell and a 3-2 overtime win against Kansas City. Pittsburgh fell to the eventual NCAA Champion Vermont, 2-0.
The Green and Gold kick off the regular season on the road against Marshall (Aug. 22, 7 p.m.) in Huntington, W.Va. and play the first home match against the University of Virginia (Aug. 28, 5:30 p.m.).
The Thundering Herd won four matches in the 2024 NCAA College Cup to advance to the championship match. Marshall defeated Ohio State, SMU, Furman and N.C. State before falling to Vermont, 2-0, in the title game.
The Patriots continue their season-high, four-match homestand against non-conference opponents, hosting Bucknell (Sept. 2, 7 p.m.) and West Virginia (Sept. 7, 5 p.m.). George Mason then hosts Davidson for the first Atlantic 10 match of the season (Sept. 12, 7 p.m.).
George Mason then plays two non-conference matches. The Patriots are on the road against UMBC (Sept. 20, 7 p.m.) in Baltimore, Md. and then back home to take on Georgetown (Sept. 23, 7 p.m.).
The Patriots will play two straight games on the road for the only time during the season when they travel to face Loyola-Chicago (Sept. 27, 7 p.m.) in Chicago, Ill. to close out the six games in the month of September. George Mason will make the trip to George Washington (Oct. 4, 7 p.m.) in Washington, D.C. to begin the six-game October slate.
George Mason will alternate home and road games over the final six matches of the season.
The Patriots are home to battle in-state rival VCU (Oct. 8, 7 p.m.) before going on the road to face St. Bonaventure (Oct. 11, 7 p.m.) in St. Bonaventure, N.Y.
The Patriots return to George Mason Stadium to tangle with La Salle (Oct. 18, 7 p.m.) and travel for a non-conference matchup against William & Mary (Oct. 21, 7 p.m.) in Williamsburg, Va.
George Mason returns to league play with the final home match of the regular season against Saint Joseph's (Oct. 25, 7 p.m.).
The Patriots wrap up the regular season on the road against Duquesne (Nov. 1, 7 p.m.) in Pittsburgh, Pa.
TICKET INFORMATION
Tickets for the 2025 George Mason Men's Soccer season are on sale. All regular season home games will require a ticket for entry. Tickets are $10 for adults and $5 for children 12 and under as well as George Mason faculty/staff. Tickets can be purchased online, by calling the Athletic Ticket Office at 703-993-3270, or at the George Mason Stadium Gate on game day. Discounted rates and special experiences are available for groups of 15 or more. More information on Men's Soccer tickets
can be found here
CORNER KICK
The Patriots begin the regular season on the road against No. 2 Marshall on Friday, August 22 with the opening kick scheduled for 7 p.m. at Hoops Family Field in Huntington, W.Va.
