NORFOLK, Va. – The Old Dominion men's soccer team officially kicked off the University's Sun Belt Conference era, beating George Mason, 1-0, in a game in which the Monarchs dominated, and in which a couple of newcomers stood tall.
Michael Eberle, a 6-foot-2, 165-pound freshman from Forest Park High School in Dumfries, Virginia, scored the lone goal with 23:58 to go in the second half.
Eberle was ahead of an ODU rush when Jan Marpe, a sophomore from Haltern am See, Germany, shot from the left side. The ball bounced off a George Mason defender and to Eberle's left side.
Eberle then nudged the ball into the net with his left foot.
Although it was a non-conference game, it was the first official home game for an ODU team as a member of the Sun Belt Conference.
"That's significant," said coach Alan Dawson. "I'm happy we won the first game.
"To be honest, I gave that no thought whatsoever.
"I just wanted to go one and nil tonight. But that's a good start. It's a good start for us."
Dawson and his assistant coaches added 16 newcomers to a team that was 3-9-2 last season, and newcomers led the way. Eberle had three shots on goal and Liam Thomas, a 5-foot-7 freshman from London, England, had a first-half shot that ricocheted off the top of the goal.
Michael Statham, a 6-4 goalie from Stockport, England, wasn't pressed all that often, but with five minutes left, made a daring play, sprinting from the front of the goal to his right side to cover up a ball just before an undefended Mason player arrived.
ODU outshot George Mason, 12-5, and had six shots on goal. Statham had three saves.
ODU had not scored in two exhibitions against NCAA teams.
"It was good that we got our first goal," Dawson said.
"We wanted to entertain our fans and get our people behind us."
The crowd of 479 was very much into the game and was on its feet in the game's final minutes. Eberle drew a standing ovation when he headed to the goal shortly after scoring.
ODU hosts American Sunday night at 6 and Dawson said he was able to substitute liberally enough to give most of his starters a break.
"The big thing for us is that we got a lot of bodies out there," he said. "We played a lot of guys.
"That's important because we've got a game coming Sunday. We've got some starters who may have to play 90 minutes on Sunday. We got them a bit of a rest.
"It's getting there. We're getting better and better.
"Soccer is all about confidence and momentum and if you grab some momentum early, it can take you a long way."
Dawson's pre-game speech to his team was about a grieving mother in Indiana who, in order to keep her deceased daughter's memory alive, paints rocks, leaves them in public places and then asks people to post on Facebook when they find them.
Tina Reynolds' daughter, Air Force Airman Hayley Reynolds, was killed nearly five years ago in a single-car accident in Norfolk County, England. Dawson found a rock painted by Tina Reynolds that was next to his Land Rover on ODU's campus. The rock was last seen in Arkansas.
He told his players he didn't believe it was an accident the rock was placed next to his car. He told them that if Tina Reynolds can keep the faith after losing a daughter, they can surely keep the faith in what promises to be a season of challenges.
In moving to the Sun Belt, a very young and inexperienced ODU plays in a men's soccer conference with three nationally-ranked teams, and a fourth that received votes.
"The players couldn't believe it," Dawson said. "They were stunned. And I think they were moved.
"We're going to do something (in honor of Hayley Reynolds) on our jerseys. That's going to be our mantra for the season, keep the faith."
STORY ON HAYLEY REYNOLDS
ODU Men's Soccer Beats George Mason 1-0 in First ODU Home Game of the Sun Belt Era
