MATCH #7
WHO: ODU (3-2-1) vs. George Mason (5-0-0)
WHEN: Sept. 15 – 6 p.m.
WHERE: ODU Soccer Stadium
SERIES RECORD: George Mason leads 19-18-3
LAST MEETING: Sept. 4, 2023 – ODU 2, GMU 2 – in Fairfax, Va.
STREAM: ESPN+
LIVE STATS: here
NORFOLK, Va. – The Old Dominion men’s soccer team finishes its non-conference slate on Sunday night when they entertain George Mason at 6 p.m. inside the ODU Soccer Stadium.
The game will have live stats and be streamed on ESPN+.
In last year’s meeting in Fairfax, ODU scored two first half goals but saw the Patriots get the equalizer in the 57th minute as the teams played to a 2-2 draw. Jonas Schmalbach got ODU on the board in the sixth minute, while William Arnesen added the other tally just before halftime.
ODU (3-2-1) returns to action after a 2-0 win on Tuesday night over William & Mary. Old Dominion started the game establishing pressure early which resulted in a goal just over six minutes into the contest. William Arnesen forced a turnover deep in the attacking end and found Michael Eberle with a feed who then found the back of the net for a 1-0 ODU advantage at the 6:15 mark.
In the second half, the teams turned more into a defensive effort as the Monarchs finally cracked the board again with just under five minutes left. Lewis Redding had a throw-in from deep in the attacking end and found Key White who sent a touch pass into Arnesen as he ripped one into the net for the 2-0 lead at 85:25.
On the night, ODU outshot W&M 18-6 and held a 5-2 advantage in corner kicks. Michael Statham made three saves on the night for ODU in recording his second clean sheet of the season.
George Mason received a goal from Marek Gonda in the 25th minute on Tuesday night as they blanked UNC Wilmington 1-0. The Patriots outshot the Seahawks, 13-5, including a 10-0 advantage in shots on goal. George Mason and UNCW finished with three corner kicks in the match.
ABOUT ODU
Tennant McVea takes over as head coach of the Monarchs from long-time coach Alan Dawson who retired at the end of the 2023 season. He had served on the staff for seven years, including being on the Conference USA winning staff in 2014.
ODU trails in the all-time series 19-18-3, though the Monarchs are 2-0-1 since this series was reestablished in 2021. These teams played as members of the Colonial Athletic Association.
Through five matches, Timothy Ennin leads the Monarchs with two goals and two assists for six points. William Arnesen and Michael Eberle have two goals each with one assist for five points, while Key White has one goal with three assists for five points. Lewis Redding shares the team lead in assists with White having three, while Andrew Bennett and Noah Madrigal have a goal apiece.
In the net, Michael Statham has two clean sheets, a save percentage of .788 and a goals against average of 1.17 through six matches. His 26 saves shares the league lead and he is second in saves per game and total shutouts.
The four goals in the win at George Washington were the most in a season opener since 2011 in a 6-0 win over Houston Baptist in a tournament at West Virginia.
ABOUT GEORGE MASON
The Patriots have won their first five matches of the season for the first time since the 2014 campaign. It's just the seventh time in program history that the Patriots have started a season with at least five straight victories (1981, 1982, 1985, 1991, 2012, 2014, 2024).
Quentin Clain leads the Patriots with three goals and one assist for seven points, while Martin Sereno has two goals and three assists also for seven points. Jaume Salvado has allowed five goals in five matches, with eight saves for a .615 save percentage.
George Mason has wins over Navy (2-0), Delaware (4-2), Bucknell (1-0), Howard (4-3) and UNC Wilmington (1-0).
NEXT UP
The Monarchs will conclude the homestand on Saturday, September 21 with top-ranked West Virginia coming to town for a 7 p.m. match to start Sun Belt Conference play.