Saturday, April 17
Dayton, OH
12 PM
George Washington University
vs
Fordham
Men's Soccer Set to Play for A-10 Title
4/16/2021 12:04:00 PM | Men's Soccer
Buff & Blue face Fordham on Saturday afternoon
With an Atlantic 10 title and automatic NCAA berth on the line, GW men's soccer faces Fordham on Saturday afternoon in the final of the conference championship.
It's a noon kickoff at Dayton's Baujan Field with the action streamed via ESPN+.
The Buff and Blue, back in the final for the first time since 2011, are seeking their third A-10 tournament title and first since 2004. The winner of Saturday's final will find out its NCAA assignment on Monday at noon during the selection show for the national tournament.
LAST TIME OUT: GW advanced to the final with a 1-0 win over top-seeded host Dayton on Thursday afternoon.
Sandro Weber broke the scoreless deadlock with a header in the 54th minute, and goalkeeper Justin Grady and the Buff and Blue's nationally-ranked defense were able to hold off the Flyers to clinch the victory.
Grady's six saves equaled a career high in his fifth clean sheet of the season.
A-10 CHAMPIONSHIP HISTORY: GW has advanced to the A-10 Championship tournament for the first time since 2017 and 13th time overall. The Buff and Blue now own a 6-9-3 all-time record in the event, highlighted by titles in 2002 and 2004. (Learn more about the incredible resilience behind the program's most-recent title run in this edition of the GW Athletics Vault.)
This is the first meeting between GW and Fordham at the conference championship. The Colonials hold a 9-5-4 edge in the all-time series with the past two contests ending in scoreless draws in 2016 and 2018.
EXCELLENCE RECOGNIZED: Oscar Haynes Brown (First Team Forward) and Grady (Second Team Goalkeeper) landed All-Conference honors for their play this spring.
Haynes Brown has returned to high-scoring form after missing most of the 2019 season due to injury. The London, England, native leads GW with five goals in his seven appearances, good for a 0.71 goals per game average that ranks 17th nationally. He enters play Saturday with 22 scores in 33 career games.
Grady has been excellent between the pipes this season, ceding just five goals while making 36 saves in nine games. The netminder from Wyncote, Pa., ranks seventh nationally in save percentage (.878) and 10th in goals against average (0.52). His five shutouts put him in a tie for first in the A-10.
In addition, Weber and Tom Cooklin were named to the A-10 All-Academic Team. Both are key members of the GW midfield: Weber scored his third goal of the season in the A-10 semifinal, and Cooklin assisted on the play, his team-leading fifth helper of the season.
SCOUTING THE RAMS: Third-seeded Fordham defeated No. 2 Saint Louis, 2-1, in the later semifinal on Thursday. The Billikens scored first, but the Rams struck back with a pair of goals three minutes apart early in the second half to advance.
Still unbeaten at 6-0-2 this season, Fordham has allowed just five goals this season, led by All-Conference defender Luke McNamara and goalkeeper Josh Levine. McNamara is among four Rams who have scored a team-high three goals this season, a group that also includes Florian Deletioglu, Sameer Fathazada and Matt Sloan.
It's a noon kickoff at Dayton's Baujan Field with the action streamed via ESPN+.
The Buff and Blue, back in the final for the first time since 2011, are seeking their third A-10 tournament title and first since 2004. The winner of Saturday's final will find out its NCAA assignment on Monday at noon during the selection show for the national tournament.
LAST TIME OUT: GW advanced to the final with a 1-0 win over top-seeded host Dayton on Thursday afternoon.
Sandro Weber broke the scoreless deadlock with a header in the 54th minute, and goalkeeper Justin Grady and the Buff and Blue's nationally-ranked defense were able to hold off the Flyers to clinch the victory.
Grady's six saves equaled a career high in his fifth clean sheet of the season.
A-10 CHAMPIONSHIP HISTORY: GW has advanced to the A-10 Championship tournament for the first time since 2017 and 13th time overall. The Buff and Blue now own a 6-9-3 all-time record in the event, highlighted by titles in 2002 and 2004. (Learn more about the incredible resilience behind the program's most-recent title run in this edition of the GW Athletics Vault.)
This is the first meeting between GW and Fordham at the conference championship. The Colonials hold a 9-5-4 edge in the all-time series with the past two contests ending in scoreless draws in 2016 and 2018.
EXCELLENCE RECOGNIZED: Oscar Haynes Brown (First Team Forward) and Grady (Second Team Goalkeeper) landed All-Conference honors for their play this spring.
Haynes Brown has returned to high-scoring form after missing most of the 2019 season due to injury. The London, England, native leads GW with five goals in his seven appearances, good for a 0.71 goals per game average that ranks 17th nationally. He enters play Saturday with 22 scores in 33 career games.
Grady has been excellent between the pipes this season, ceding just five goals while making 36 saves in nine games. The netminder from Wyncote, Pa., ranks seventh nationally in save percentage (.878) and 10th in goals against average (0.52). His five shutouts put him in a tie for first in the A-10.
In addition, Weber and Tom Cooklin were named to the A-10 All-Academic Team. Both are key members of the GW midfield: Weber scored his third goal of the season in the A-10 semifinal, and Cooklin assisted on the play, his team-leading fifth helper of the season.
SCOUTING THE RAMS: Third-seeded Fordham defeated No. 2 Saint Louis, 2-1, in the later semifinal on Thursday. The Billikens scored first, but the Rams struck back with a pair of goals three minutes apart early in the second half to advance.
Still unbeaten at 6-0-2 this season, Fordham has allowed just five goals this season, led by All-Conference defender Luke McNamara and goalkeeper Josh Levine. McNamara is among four Rams who have scored a team-high three goals this season, a group that also includes Florian Deletioglu, Sameer Fathazada and Matt Sloan.
Players Mentioned
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