George Washington University Athletics
GW Men's Soccer Opens A-10 Play at Davidson
10/1/2015 12:00:00 AM | Men's Soccer
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Oct. 1, 2015
WASHINGTON -- The George Washington men's soccer team kicks off Atlantic 10 Conference Play on Saturday evening with a visit to Davidson. Kickoff from the Wildcats' Alumni Stadium is slated for 7 p.m.
GW (3-5-0) has not played since last Friday's 4-1 victory over Robert Morris at the GW Soccer Field after Tuesday's scheduled match at defending national champion Virginia was canceled due to heavy rain. Junior Garrett Heine scored a pair of goals and added an assist in his first career multi-goal effort against RMU, while senior Eddie Painter, who has scored in two straight games, tallied a goal and an assist. Sophomore Christian Lawal also found the back of the net for the Colonials.
Heine ranks second in the Atlantic 10 and among the top 50 in the nation in points (13, 24th in NCAA), points per game (1.63, 24th), goals (5, 32nd) and goals per game (0.63, 31st), and he is tied for third in the conference with three assists. Heine is also tied for the league lead with three game-winning goals -- tied for fifth-most in the NCAA -- as he has netted the game-winner in all three of GW's victories this season.
In addition, freshman goalkeeper Thor Arne Höfs ranks third in the A-10 and 13th in the nation with 5.20 saves per game, and he is fifth in the conference with a .722 save percentage.
As a team, GW ranks third in the Atlantic 10 with 1.38 goals per game after netting seven goals in the last three contests. GW is also third in the league with 12 assists and fourth with 34 points on the season.
Davidson (3-3-3) is coming off a 2-2 draw with Duke on Tuesday evening. Maxi Pragnell and Alec Rotunda each scored for the Wildcats, who are unbeaten in 16 straight home matches. Rotunda and Valeriy Sviderskiy are tied for the team lead with three goals and seven points apiece. Goalkeeper Matt Pacifici, who earned A-10 Second-Team All-Conference honors last season, has seen the majority of the minutes between the pipes for Davidson and boasts a 1.56 goals-against average and a .737 save percentage. The Wildcats are tied for fifth in the A-10 with 1.22 goals per game and rank eighth with a 1.64 team GAA.
GW and Davidson played to a 1-1 draw on Senior Day last season at the GW Soccer Field. Tobi Adewole gave the Colonials an early lead as he converted a feed from Heine, but the Wildcats knotted the score in the 62nd minute. Prior to their meeting last November, the teams had not met since 1969 when they were Southern Conference opponents. GW holds a 2-1-1 advantage in the all-time series.
