Aug. 21, 2002

The George Mason University men's soccer team opens its 2002 season with a scrimmage against perennial national power St. John's on Friday, Aug. 23, at 6 p.m. at George Mason Stadium. The contest against the Red Storm, a 2001 NCAA Tournament "Final Four" qualifier which finished 17-3-3, is open to the public with no admission cost.

George Mason officially opens its 2002 season on Labor Day Weekend at the JMU/Comfort Inn Invitational in Harrisonburg, VA. The Patriots meet Temple on Friday, Aug. 30, at 5 p.m. and face St. Francis (PA) on Sunday, Sept. 1, at 1 p.m.

When George Mason men's soccer head coach Fran O'Leary arrived to take over the Patriot program last season, his goals were to see his team feature a solid defense and an opportunistic, attacking offense. The first goal, of a solid defense, was met as the season carried into its final weeks. The Patriots allowed just 27 goals in 18 games, the fewest for the team since 1998, and during their last 10 games, they allowed only nine goals as the Patriots posted a 6-3-1 record. That outstanding finish allowed George Mason to complete the 2001 season with an 8-9-1 overall record and a 2-3 mark in the Colonial Athletic Association.

However, the offense did not quite meet its objective. The Patriots were opportunistic, as their 6-5 record in one-goal games and 2-1-1 mark in overtime displays, but they only found the back of the net 22 times. O'Leary, however, feels the Patriots are not far from being an offensive juggernaut. An influx of talented recruits mixed with the returning players with a year's experience in his system have O'Leary feeling this may be a breakout season for George Mason.

"Our first goal last year was to be a competitive team, and I believe we accomplished that," said O'Leary, who has a 134-72-21 overall record in 13 seasons as a head coach. "I was delighted with the way we rebounded from a difficult start. The players became a tight unit, both on and off the field, and over the last half of the season, I feel we were as good a defensive team as any in the country.

"But to become a consistent top-20 team, we need to improve our attacking thrust and become better technically. We must turn our territorial advantage into goals. If we can maintain our tight defensive structure and improve our finishing, we will be a formidable opponent for any team."

The strength of the Patriot defense begins with sophomore goalkeeper John O'Hara. Starting each game and playing every minute as a freshman last season, O'Hara posted a 1.42 goals-against average, 61 saves and four shutouts as he earned CAA Rookie of the Year honors and was named to the All-CAA second team and the Freshman All-America third team (by College Soccer News). He sparkled over the last half of the campaign with a 0.91 GAA in his last nine games, including all four of his shutouts.

"For the first time in my 13 years as a head coach, we had a goalkeeper who did not cost us a single goal," O'Leary said of O'Hara, who will be backed up by redshirt freshman John Harrington and true freshman Brian Badger. "John kept us in many games and should only get better as he continues to make progress."

The development of junior Keith Nakai and sophomore Danny Climo were keys to the success of the defensive unit in front of O'Hara last season. The return of sophomore Helmis Matute after a year off and the addition of freshmen Damian O'Rourke, Chris Perkins and Brian Reid should bolster the group.

Continued improvement from the veterans and the influx of enthusiasm and talent from the newcomers should help lift the Patriot offense in 2002. Senior Laszlo Juhasz and junior Barry Suber return to lead the Patriot forwards, while seniors Matt Friedman and Radovan Pletka join juniors Mirza Kurspahic and Paul Ondiak in the midfield. Freshmen Steve Alabi, Sean Malee and Joe Pancotti will press for playing time up front, and sophomore David Quinn and freshmen Kyle Hansen, Kephern Fuller and Mike Uremovich will do likewise in the midfield.

"I am confident we will improve our goal tally in the season ahead," said O'Leary. "The returning players are focused, and I feel we've brought in several players who are comfortable in possession of the ball, who can supply good final passes and who can help finish around the goal. If we can get the same effort that made us one of the better defensive teams in the nation last year, we can become an attacking power."

Juhasz tied for the team lead with five goals last season and ranked second on the Patriots with 11 points, while Suber, playing mostly as a midfielder, contributed one goal. Friedman started all 17 games he played and had two goals and two assists, while Kurspahic had two assists and Pletka added one.

As usual, George Mason's schedule is full of quality opponents, including four teams that qualified for last season's 48-team NCAA Tournament field. These include defending national champion North Carolina and fellow Atlantic Coast Conference power Maryland in addition to CAA champion James Madison and new CAA foe Towson. The Patriots also will meet seven teams from the South Atlantic Region, annually one of the nation's toughest regions and an area that traditionally sends four or more of its 22 teams to the NCAA Tournament each season.

In its last season in the America East Conference, Towson won the league title and defeated James Madison in the NCAA Tournament. The Tigers bring a fresh approach to the CAA along with fellow America East converts Delaware, Drexel and Hofstra, and O'Leary welcomes that.

"Each of the new teams will come in looking to establish themselves in the CAA and each will bring something unique," said O'Leary. "It's exciting to get fresh talent into the league, as it helps make everyone better."