Sept. 12, 2010
Final Stats
VILLANOVA, Pa. - George Mason (3-1-0 overall, Colonial Athletic Association) used a strong first half to propel it to a 2-0 victory over Villanova (1-2-1 overall, 0-0 BIG EAST) in a men's soccer contest played here Sunday afternoon.
After morning rains soaked the natural surface at the Villanova Soccer Complex, the field was slick for this contest. From the opening whistle, George Mason carried play in the first half. The Patriots would out-shoot VU 17-4 in the period and produce two goals.
George Mason generated 10 of the game's first 11 shots, including several quality ones that forced Wildcats goalkeeper Chris Bresnahan to be on his toes. GMU broke through at 37:49 when A.J. Sheta sent a low shot from the middle of the box into the lower right corner of the net past Bresnahan. The play began along the left sideline when Anthony Han directed a ball to Victor Freeman. Freeman found an open Sheta with a pass along the surface and Sheta fired the ball into the goal.
Sheta was injured not long after the goal in a collision with a Villanova player and did not return to action.
The Patriots padded their lead at 41:49 when Han set up Ernesto Marquez, who blasted a shot into the upper right side of the net to make it 2-0.
"In the first half, George Mason really controlled the tempo," stated Villanova head coach Tom Carlin. "We made a couple of individual mistakes and give them credit, they capitalized. It looked like a good veteran team out there against a younger, less experienced team."
Villanova applied the pressure in the second half and forced Mason goalkeeper Dustin Butcher to make six saves. Sophomores Emerson Lawrence, Kyle Soroka and freshman Joseph Schmid each had a quality scoring chance in the second 45 minutes but George Mason was equal to the challenge. The final was 2-0.
"We were better in the second half," Carlin noted. "But down two goals, it's tough. You have to chase the game and push up to try to create scoring chances. We weren't able to break through."
Next up for the Wildcats is a Philadelphia Soccer Six match at Penn on Friday at 5:00 p.m.
