April 4, 2008

FAIRFAX, Va. - No. 9 George Mason (8-1, 1-0 CAA) built an early 8-0 lead and cruised to a 17-7 victory over the Old Dominion Lady Monarchs (4-2, 0-1 CAA) in the women's lacrosse season opener for both teams on Friday evening at George Mason Stadium. With the win, the Patriots extended their school-record winning streak to seven consecutive contests.

George Mason's 8-1 record after nine contests is the best start to a season in the 15-year history of the program. Mason has not lost in more than a month, with the team's lone loss of the season coming on Feb. 27 at then-No. 9 Georgetown. The winning streak began on March 1 when Mason defeated in-state rival Virginia Tech and has included wins over George Washington, Iona College, then-No. 18 Boston University, Saint Joseph's and American, in addition to tonight's victory. The Patriots earned their highest-ranking in school history this week with a No. 9 ranking in both the IWLCA/Under Armour Poll and the Inside Lacrosse Media Poll.

The Patriots' potent offensive attack has outscored opponents 128-80 through nine games this season and went to work early and often in tonight's contest. Mason jumped on Old Dominion from the start, scoring the first eight goals of the game while the defense held the Lady Monarchs' scoreless for the first 21 minutes of the game. After junior Jessica Noone broke ODU's scoring drought, Mason scored the final three goals of the half to head into the intermission with a commanding 11-1 lead. Junior midfielder Alana Chan tallied three of her game-high four goals during the first 30 minutes of play.

During the opening 10 minutes of the second half, the Patriots outscored ODU 4-1 to open up a 13-goal lead at 15-2. The only time the Old Dominion offense seemed to find any rhythm during the game was during the final 15 minutes of play. With the game already decided, the Lady Monarchs outscored Mason 5-2 for the final tally of 17-7.

The Patriots held an advantage in nearly every statistical category, including shots (40-18), assists (5-0), points (22-7), ground balls (22-19), draw controls (14-11), free-position goals (3-2) and saves (10-9). Sophomore goalkeeper Sara Longobucco had an outstanding night, finishing with nine saves, including eight in the first half.

Her counterpart, Sara Larson, had been stellar between the pipes in leading the Lady Monarchs to a 4-1 start entering tonight's contest. Heading into the game, Larson ranked first in the CAA in goals against average (6.75), save percentage (.603) and saves per game (10.25). She had seven saves in the game while splitting time with D'Ana Goodfellow but had a tough time holding the Patriots' offense in check, allowing 14 goals. Sophomore Ashley Kellogg and sophomore Katherine Bruno both had two goals to lead Old Dominion.

George Mason returns to action on Sunday, April 6, traveling to Williamsburg, Va. to take on CAA rival William and Mary. First draw is scheduled for 1 p.m.