George Washington University Athletics
GW Men's Soccer Concludes Homestand on Wednesday
10/20/2015 12:00:00 AM | Men's Soccer
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Oct. 20, 2015
WASHINGTON -- The George Washington men's soccer team concludes its four-game homestand on Wednesday afternoon when it hosts Atlantic 10 rival St. Bonaventure. Kickoff from the GW Soccer Field on the Mount Vernon Campus is slated for 1 p.m.
GW (7-6-0, 3-1-0 A-10) saw its five-game winning streak and three-game shutout streak snapped on Saturday in a 1-0 loss to Rhode Island. The Colonials, however, have won six of their last eight games, outscoring opponents, 13-6, in that span, and are currently tied with defending A-10 champion Fordham (3-1-0) and VCU (2-0-3) for second place in the conference standings with nine points apiece. Dayton (3-0-1) leads the league with 10 points.
At 3-1-0, GW is off to its best start to Atlantic 10 play since the 2000 squad went 4-0-0. In addition, the Colonials' seven wins are their most since 2011, when they won 10 games en route to a share of the A-10 regular-season title.
"We hope we can bounce back from the setback last game and if we do create good chances we have to be more clinical and make them count to score some goals," said fourth-year head coach Craig Jones. "Defensively we have to be mentally focused for the whole game and not take a play off."
Junior Garrett Heine ranks third in the Atlantic 10 in goals (6), goals per game (0.46), points (15) and points per game (1.15), while sophomore Christian Lawal is tied for fifth in goals per game (0.36) and ranks eighth in goals (4) and ninth in points (10). It marks the first time a pair of Colonials have each tallied 10 points in a season since 2011. In addition, Heine continues to lead the league and rank fifth in the nation with four game-winning goals.
Senior Jack Lopez and freshman Thor Arne Höfs have split time in goal this season. Lopez ranks fifth in the A-10 with a 0.98 goals-against average in seven games between the pipes, while Höfs is fourth in saves per game (4.67) and fifth in save percentage (.737) in six contests. Each keeper has recorded a pair of shutouts, as the Colonials are tied for fourth in the league with four clean sheets on the year. Lopez has allowed just two goals in four A-10 contests, and his 0.48 GAA against league opponents ranks second in the conference, while his .833 save percentage ranks fifth.
As a team, GW's offense ranks fourth in the A-10 with 17 goals and 1.31 per game and second with 1.54 assists per contest.
St. Bonaventure (1-13-1, 0-4-0 A-10) has dropped five in a row since a scoreless draw against Binghamton on Sept. 30. The Bonnies are coming off a 2-1 loss at Massachusetts on Saturday, with Kosi Nwafornso scoring his second goal of the season in the 78th minute. He is tied with Kieran Toland for the team lead with two goals and four points apiece. Goalkeeper Bobby Diaz leads the A-10 and ranks second in the nation with 6.42 saves per game. He owns a 2.51 goals-against average, as the Bonnies have been outscored, 42-5, on the year.
"In the games we've watched on St. Bonaventure so far, they have been very unlucky to not get a result in all of them, so we know this is going to be a tough game and another A-10 battle," said Coach Jones.
GW owns a 13-8-2 advantage over St. Bonaventure in the all-time series, including a 1-0 win last season at the Bonnies' Marra Athletic Complex. Lawal netted the game-winner in the 55th minute for the Colonials, with assists from classmates Alex Conning and Oliver Curry.
