George Mason University women's soccer opens their 2022 campaign with a road matchup against nationally ranked Virginia on Thursday, Aug. 18.
The game will be live streamed on ACCNX and can also be followed on Live Stat.
The Patriots have 18 regular-season matches on their schedule this season, with eight being played at home.
The Green and Gold have nine returners on the roster and 22 newcomers. Of the 22, three are transfers and 19 are incoming freshmen.
The returners include goalkeepers Jester Hutchison and Sarah Cuttler, defenders Kolbrun Eyjólfsdóttir, Kaitlyn Butcher, and Eman Karimi and forwards Serena Spitz, Shea Carroll, Ashley Shimberg and Brooke Volpi.
The three transfer players include Sarah DeWitt (St. Francis Brooklyn), Milan Pierre-Jerome (Maryland) and Zoë Vidaurre (Ohio State).
The incoming freshmen class range from all over the country. Not only are some from Virginia, but they also hail from Alaska, Wisconsin, California, Tennessee, Maryland, Pennsylvania, Georgia, Michigan, New Jersey, Florida and North Carolina. Freshmen starters Selamawit Caldart, Tessa Niedzwiedzki and Rachel Eberly have already played significant minutes in preseason scrimmages with the Patriots.
Head coach Manya Puppione will be entering her second season at the helm, with assistant coach Scott Sinclair also starting his second year with the team. In addition, two new coaches will have their Patriot debuts – assistant coach Alyssa Whitehead and volunteer assistant coach Dominic Rutan.
SCOUTING VIRGINIA
Virginia will also open their season on Thursday night. They are coming off a 2021 season that saw them claim the ACC regular-season championship and a Sweet 16 appearance in the NCAA Tournament. They come into the start of the 2022 ranked No. 4 nationally in the United Soccer Coaches Rankings and No. 2 in the ACC Women's Soccer Preseason Coaches Poll.
Cavalier senior Alexa Spaanstra and junior midfielder Lia Godfrey were named preseason All-ACC by the league's coaches. Spaanstra scored nine goals and made nine assists last season. She has garnered All-ACC honors each of the last four years. Godfrey was named All-ACC first team last season and contributed with three goals and three assists.
HISTORY WITH THE CAVALIERS
Virginia leads the all-time series with the Patriots 14-8-3, with the Cavaliers winning the last nine contests. The last time these two teams met was last season at home on August 26, where Virginia defeated the Patriots 2-0.
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