George Washington University Athletics
GW Men's Soccer Continues Revolutionary Rivalry on Saturday
10/8/2015 12:00:00 AM | Men's Soccer
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Oct. 8, 2015
WASHINGTON -- Coming off a thrilling double-overtime victory at Saint Joseph's on Wednesday evening, the George Washington men's soccer team goes for its fourth straight win when it hosts Atlantic 10 foe and Revolutionary Rival George Mason on Saturday afternoon. Kickoff from the GW Soccer Field on the Mount Vernon Campus is slated for 1 p.m.
GW (5-5-0, 2-0-0 A-10) extended its winning streak to three with a 1-0 win over Saint Joseph's, its second shutout and first overtime game of the season. Senior Eddie Painter netted the golden goal in the 103rd minute to lift the Colonials to their fourth win in their last five games. It was the second golden goal of his career, as he also tallied the game-winner in double-overtime at Rhode Island in 2013.
GW is 2-0-0 in A-10 play for the first time since 2011, when they finished 7-2-0 and won a share of the A-10 regular-season crown. The Colonials have not won their first three league games since 2000, when they started the A-10 season with a 4-0-0 record.
GW is one of three teams in the conference to start 2-0-0 this season, joining Dayton and reigning A-10 champ Fordham. VCU is also unbeaten at 1-0-1 through two games.
Junior Garrett Heine ranks second in the Atlantic 10 with 1.30 points per game and 0.50 goals per game, and he is third in total goals (5) and points (13) while tying for fourth in assists (3). In addition, he continues to pace the conference with three game-winning goals. Painter and sophomore Christian Lawal, the reigning A-10 Player of the Week, are tied for 10th in the league with eight points apiece. It marks the first time since 2011 that three Colonials have each recorded at least three goals and eight points in the same season.
Senior Jack Lopez and freshman Thor Arne Höfs have split time in goal this season, with each starting five games for the Colonials. Lopez, who posted his first career shutout at Saint Joseph's on Wednesday, ranks fifth in the Atlantic 10 with a 1.17 goals-against average, while Höfs is second with 5.20 saves per game and fifth with a .722 save percentage.
As a team, GW ranks third in the A-10 with 1.40 goals per game after scoring 10 in its last five contests. The Colonials are also third in assists (16) and fourth in total points (44).
George Mason (4-5-1, 0-0-1 A-10), which was picked to finish third in the Atlantic 10 preseason poll after posting an 11-4-5 overall record last season, is coming off a 1-1 draw with VCU last Saturday in its conference opener. Matt Tucker scored the Patriots' lone goal in the 30th minute, and goalkeeper Steffen Kraus recorded seven saves.
Tucker and Henning Dirks are tied for the team lead with five points (2g, 1a) apiece. Five different Patriots have tallied a pair of goals this season. Kraus and Michael Butts have split time between the pipes, with Butts leading the A-10 in both goals-against average (0.52) and save percentage (.846) in 347 minutes.
As a team, George Mason ranks second in the A-10 in shots per game (12.60) but is sixth in goals per contest (1.20). The Patriots, however, have also allowed the second-fewest goals in the league (13) for a 1.25 goals-against average.
Saturday's match marks the 39th all-time meeting between GW and George Mason in a series that dates to 1972, but just their third as conference foes. GW has faced only District rivals Howard and American more times than the Patriots, who hold a 25-10-3 all-time advantage over the Colonials. Mason defeated GW, 1-0, last Halloween in Fairfax, Virginia.
An important point in the Revolutionary Rivalry -- the year-long competition between GW and George Mason that culminates in the awarding of the Tri-Corner Hat Trophy - is on the line in Saturday's match. The Colonials currently lead the Patriots, 1-0, following the GW volleyball team's 3-1 victory on Sept. 25 at the Charles E. Smith Center. GW won the inaugural series in 2013-14 while the two institutions tied last season.
