Boxscore

Photo courtesy of Mark Campbell

FAIRFAX, Va. -- The University of Delaware men’s soccer team fell to regionally ranked George Mason, 3-1, in a Colonial Athletic Association contest at George Mason Stadium on Wednesday evening.

Ranked No. 6 in the South Atlantic Region by the National Soccer Coaches Association of America, George Mason (8-3-1 overall, 3-1-1 CAA) got out to a strong start as they laced off four shots in the opening minutes. Senior Darren Christie broke the ice for Delaware (5-8-0 overall, 2-3-0 CAA) and tallied a shot on goal in the 10th minute, only to be saved by Patriots’ goalkeeper Sean Kelley.

The home squad retaliated, answering with a strong shot from the far left wing that came from the boot of Ryan Gracia. Irvin Martinez recorded an assist on the score as the ball slapped off of freshman goalkeeper Brandon Paul’s gloves, and found its way to the back of the net at 10:53.

Though play bounced from one end of the field to the other and the teams notched three shots a piece, the Blue Hens were the next to celebrate.

Awarded a corner kick in the 25th minute, junior co-captain Jon Scheer set up for the serve as the backfield pushed forward, sophomore defender Darren O’Connor being one of them.

O’Connor (at right) connected with the airborne ball from Scheer and headed it in to goal to knot the game at 1.

Another pair of shots were exchanged before the Patriots’ Fro Adu and Ernesto Marquez found themselves a step-ahead of the Hens’ defense. Marquez fed the ball to Adu on the breakaway to regain a one-goal margin at 36:53 and finalize scoring in the first period of play.

Following the half, GMU wasted little time before tallying a second score and up its lead to 3-1. At 47:27 Draymond Washington fired a shot at Paul that he was able to save, though unable to cradle into his possession. Gracia gathered the rebound for Mason and tapped it to Washington who was able to beat Paul on his second attempt.

En route to outshooting the Patriots, 11-9, in the second stint of play, Scheer and junior Chibsah Faisal each took a shot hoping to bring the game within one, before Mason committed a hard foul in the box to award the Hens a penalty kick.

Having been successful on a penalty kick during the Hens’ 2-0 victory over La Salle on Sept. 29, Faisal took the Blue and Golds’ free kick at 53:31, though Kelley saved it to retain the two-goal cushion.

Delaware chanced bringing the game within one on multiple occasions before the 90th minute stuck, including a Ben Rodkey shot at 70:10 that met with the crossbar and fell back into play. Junior Courtney Hewitt collected the rebound and shot, though his put-back was again saved by Kelley.

“It was a devastating loss for the lads tonight,” said fourth-year head coach Ian Hennessy. “We hit the bar, the post, and missed a PK and some golden opportunities that should have seen us get a result tonight. Darren Christie was exceptional once again tonight and on his performance alone we should have won.

“I give the players their due, the worked hard and managed the game plan fairly well. With the exception of a couple of critical errors, we could have been close to the top of the table tonight. We will look now to regroup and face William and Mary who are ranked atop the latest NCAA RPI poll. I hope we can get a good crowd to come support us on Saturday,” concluded Hennessy.
Christie and Faisal teamed to lead the Hens’ having each taken four shots on goal, while Gracia recorded five shots for GMU.

Paul tallied four saves in goal for the Newark team, and Kelley made 10 stops for Mason.

Delaware will return to CAA action on Saturday, Oct. 17 when it hosts CAA opponent, William & Mary, at Delaware Mini-Stadium in a 7 p.m. match. The NSCAA ranked the Tribe 25th in the nation in its weekly poll released Tuesday.

AGATE:

George Mason...2...1.....3
Delaware............1...0.....1

Scoring Summary: First Half: GMU - Ryan Gracia (Irvin Martinez) - 10:53, UD - Darren O’Connor (Jon Scheer) - 24:40, GMU - Fro Adu (Ernesto Marquez) - 36:53; Second Half: GMU - Draymond Washington (Ryan Gracia) - 47:50; Shots: UD - 17, GMU - 20; Corner Kicks: UD - 5, GMU - 1; Saves: UD - 5 (Brandon Paul, 5), GMU - 10 (Sean Kelley, 10); Fouls: UD - 6, GMU 17; Offsides: UD - 0, GMU - 3.