MEN'S SOCCER at #2 Marshall
WHEN: Friday, Aug. 22 | 7:15 p.m.
WHERE: Huntington, W.Va. | Hoops Family Field
2024 RECORDS: George Mason (13-4-1, 6-1-1 Atlantic 10); Marshall (15-2-7, 4-0-5 Sun Belt)
LIVE STATS: Click here
WATCH: ESPN+

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FAIRFAX, Va. – The George Mason men's soccer begins the season on the road against No. 2 Marshall on Friday, August 22 with the opening kick scheduled for 7:15 p.m. at Hoops Family Field in Huntington, W.Va.
 
The Patriots were predicted to finish second in the Atlantic 10 preseason poll as voted on by the league's head coaches.  Graduate student defender Javi Sanchez, junior midfielder James Eliuda and sophomore forward Martim Sereno were selected to the Atlantic 10 Preseason All-Conference Team.
 
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 last season, 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).
 
George Mason men's soccer is facing Marshall for the first time in program history.
 
 SCOUTING No. 2 Marshall
 
Marshall finished the 2024 season with a 15-2-7 overall record, including a mark of 4-0-5 in Sun Belt Conference play.  The Thundering Herb went 11-0-3 at home, 3-1-4 on the road and 1-1-0 in games played at a neutral site last season.
 
The Thundering Herd has been picked to finish first in the Sun Belt Conference Preseason Coaches Poll and enter the 2025 season ranked second nationally in the United Soccer Coaches Poll (192 points/3 first place votes). 

Defending national champion Vermont is the top ranked team entering the season (193 points/4 first place votes).  Ohio State (188 points/1 first place vote), Denver (179 points), SMU (159 points), Wake Forest (156 points), Pittsburgh (147 points), UMass (144 points), Clemson (127 points) and San Diego (121 points) round out the top 10 enter the season.
 
Marshall entered the 2024 Sun Belt Tournament, held in Morgantown, W.Va., as the two seed and defeated No. 7 Old Dominion, 3-2 and No. 6 James Madison, 1-0 to advance to the championship match.  After playing 200 scoreless minutes against top-seeded West Virginia, the Herd fell to the Mountaineers, 6-5, in penalty kicks.
 
Marshall entered the NCAA Tournament as the 13th seed and hosted the first two games.  The Thundering Herd defeated Furman (4-0) and N.C. State (2-1) at Hoops Family Field.  Marshall then earned a 3-2 victory over No. 12 SMU in Dallas, Texas to reach its second College Cup Final Four.
 
In the College Cup Semifinals in Cary, N.C., Marshall topped top-seeded Ohio State, 1-0.  The Thundering Herd fell to Vermont, 2-1, in the championship game.
 
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
 
George Mason men's soccer is facing Marshall for the first time in program history.