George Washington University Athletics
GW Hosts 2004 Men's Soccer Championship
11/10/2004 12:00:00 AM | Men's Soccer
Nov. 10, 2004
WASHINGTON, DC - The George Washington University will host the 2004 Atlantic 10 Men's Soccer Championship on Thursday, Nov. 11 through Sunday, Nov. 14 at the Mount Vernon Athletic Complex. It is the first time GW has ever hosted the event.
The Colonials (7-8-3, 6-3-2 Atlantic 10) are seeded fourth and will square off against defending A-10 champion Rhode Island (12-7-1, 6-4-1 Atlantic 10) on Nov. 11 at 1:00 p.m. The Rams are the championship's fifth seed.
It is the 10th time GW has qualified to compete for the conference title and it's the third straight time the Colonials have garnered berth in the championship. The Colonials are 2-7-1 all-time in A-10 Tournament competition.
GW is riding a six-match winning streak, its longest since it began the 1984 campaign with six consecutive triumphs. Junior Frank Ambrosio has been the offensive catalyst during the stretch, scoring 12 of his 14 total points in those matches. The Colonials also boast the reigning A-10 Player of the Week in sophomore Joseph Siegel. Siegel notched five points at Richmond on Nov. 6 to help the Colonials secure a spot in the championship.
Junior goalkeeper Derek Biss has been in net during all 540 mintutes of the Colonials' winning streak. He owns a 0.80 goals-against average in the six matches and has shut out GW's last three opponents. He is the first keeper since Robert Christian in 1993 to notch three straight shutouts.
Rhode Island locked up a spot in the championship by defeating Massachusetts, 2-0, on Nov. 5. The Rams lead the Atlantic 10 in every offensive category except assists and assists per game. Their main weapon has been Sasha Gotsmanov, who leads the league in points (46) and goals (19). Jeffrey Gonsalves is also dangerous in the offensive end of the field. He ranks second on Rhode Island with 26 points.
The Colonials and Rams have met 17 times with Rhode Island owning a 10-4-3 advantage in the all-time series. Recently, GW has had the edge in the series, winning two of last three meetings. Earlier this season, the two squads battled to a, 1-1, tie on Oct. 8 at Mount Vernon.
Admission to the championship is free. The tournament will get underway at 11:00 a.m. on Nov. 11 with third-seeded Temple taking on the No. 6 seed, La Salle.
