George Mason University men’s soccer team defeated the University of Maryland, Baltimore County Retrievers by a score of 3-0 on Sept. 27 in front of their home crowd.

 The Patriots and Retrievers went back and forth in the beginning of the game until Mason pulled ahead at the 15-minute mark. A giveaway by  UMBC led to a counter attack for the Patriots that ended with Henning Dirks finding Daniel Hoffman in the box to give Mason a 1-0 lead.

Only minutes later, Mason’s Zach Herstek sent forward Timi Mulgrew on a run through the UMBC defense. Mulgrew put a ball in the back of the net only to have it called back on an offside.

The teams exchanged chances throughout the first half. Most notably, UMBC midfielder Mamadou Kansaye crossed a ball that went through the box untouched by a number of Retriever players.

Mason started the second half leading 1-0. The Patriots wasted little time jumping further ahead. At 52′, Hoffman returned the favor to Dirks with a great outlet pass leading to Dirks beating the keeper. This put the Patriots in a commanding position, one they would not surrender.

Mason struck their final blow at the 67-minute mark. Mulgrew forced a turnover and went on the counter-attack. As he cleared the defense, the senior forward took his shot from the top right of the box. Mulgrew placed the shot in the top left corner to beat the keeper. Mulgrew’s seventh goal of the season gave the Patriots a 3-0 lead that was the final score when time expired.

With this win, Mason improves to 7-0-1 on the season. Through their first eight games, Mason has allowed just 1 goal. They travel to Navy this Tuesday, Sept. 30 and will return home Oct. 7 to play in-state rival and nationally ranked opponent, the University of Virginia.

Featured image: Johannah Tubalado/Fourth Estate