NORFOLK, Va. – Junior Michael Eberle was on the receiving end of a Key White feed with just under seven minutes left in regulation to break a scoreless tie as the Old Dominion Monarchs took a 1-0 victory over previously unbeaten George Mason in men’s soccer action on Sunday night.
“Really pleased with the second half performance tonight. We left a lot on the table in the first 45 minutes. We didn’t come out of the blocks the way we had the last couple of games. We had to readjust at halftime and really proud of the guys for the change in attitude. It showed in the second half and we got our rewards. George Mason is a good side and this is a good win,” said ODU Head Coach Tennant McVea.
White got on a breakaway down the right wing and found Eberle at the right spot as he touched the service into the net at 83:01 to break the scoreless tie. It’s Eberle’s second game-winning goal of the week and third goal on the season to match his output of 2023. He had the winner on Tuesday night in the first half of a 2-0 victory over William & Mary.
The first half was a physical affair that saw each side with a couple opportunities but couldn’t find the back of the net. George Mason had a shot blast off the crossbar in the 35th minute, but at the half it was scoreless.
In the second half, George Mason (5-1-0) got loose with a couple of shots but one was saved by Michael Statham and the other went over the cage.
On the night, ODU outshot George Mason 12-11 and held a 5-1 advantage in corner kicks. Statham made the one second half save for his second clean sheet of the week.
ODU starts Sun Belt Conference play on Saturday, September 21 when top-ranked West Virginia comes to the ODU Soccer Stadium for a 7 p.m. start.