TRIBE 13, MASON 8
On a rainy day full of slips and stumbles, the Tribe (6-6, 2-0 CAA) managed to stay on its feet in recording a 13-8 victory over ninth-ranked George Mason University (8-2, 1-1) and extend its winning streak to four games. The College’s latest upset marks its third win against a nationally ranked team in its last four contests.
After capturing the opening draw, the Patriots charged downfield and scored just 30 seconds into the game. Following the goal, the Tribe worked the ball around before finding junior attacker Julia Martin behind the net for a quick wrap-around score.
The College continued its aggressive offensive play as senior midfielder Jamie Sellers notched two goals from the top of the crease. George Mason scored shortly after, narrowing the deficit to one after stretching the Tribe defense with a series of good passes.
The Tribe regained momentum, piecing together a 5-2 run after capitalizing on several Patriot turnovers to close out the half with an 8-4 advantage. Freshman Maggie Anderson came up big during the stretch, recording three of her four goals during the period.
“Our ball movement was key in this game, especially in the first half,” Sellers said. “Knowing they were going to double-team the challenges, we used quick ball movement to find the open person on the inside.”
Both teams struggled to control the ball in the first five minutes of the second half before freshman midfielder Grace Golden scoring off a penalty. Over the next 15 minutes of play, the Tribe held the Patriots scoreless while going on a 4-0 tear. Sellers recorded another goal, following a kick-out from Martin, marking her conference-leading 45th goal of the season.
Freshman attacker Ashley Holofcener also played a key role for the College, providing two goals and an assist during the run. Freshman goalkeeper Emily Geary, named CAA Rookie of the Week, came up with several big saves on her way to a total of 11.
“I thought my defense did a good job of reading the play and had a really disciplined, but smart, game,” Head Coach Christine Halfpenny said.
Holding a 13-4 lead with 11:39 remaining, the Tribe’s dominant stretch came to an end following a George Mason goal. In the remaining minutes, the Patriots scored three more unanswered goals, but the College’s wide margin proved too difficult for George Mason to overcome. Once the Tribe gained possession with 4:49 remaining, the Tribe offense held the ball until the final whistle.
In the College’ CAA opener Friday in Harrisonburg, the Tribe defeated no. 19 James Madison University 11-10 in overtime. Golden scored the game-winner with 16 seconds remaining in the first overtime period after gathering a missed shot and racing past the defense on the re-start.
