The Basics

• Score: VCU 2, George Mason 1 
• Records: VCU (8-7-1, 6-1 A-10), George Mason (8-7-0, 4-3 A-10)
• Location: George Mason Field – Fairfax County, Va.
• The Short Story: VCU women's soccer traveled to Fairfax County, Va. to take on Atlantic-10 Conference rival George Mason on Thursday night. A Sharon Wojcik free kick lifted the Rams to a 2-1 victory as VCU advanced to 6-1 against conference foes.

How It Happened

• VCU and George Mason battled for possession for much of the first half until the Patriots took a 1-0 lead in the 34^th minute.
• The Rams were able to score the equalizer when freshman Julia Suarez played a loose ball in front of the net, making a move past a Patriot defender and finished for the score. The forward is now tied with senior Kailyn Slade as the leading scorers for VCU.
• Tied at the half, the Rams returned from the break with a renewed energy and dominated possession the rest of the way.
• VCU nearly took the lead when Slade had a one-on-one opportunity in front of the net. The Patriot keeper was just able to get her fingertips on it to deflect the shot.
• Moments later, Wojcik almost gave the Rams a lead, rocketing a header past the net on a VCU corner kick.
• Wojcik eventually gave the Black and Gold a 2-1 advantage, scoring on a free kick from 20 yards out in the 58^th minute. The Patriots were called for a handball in the box, setting up the play. Wojcik has now scored in back-to-back games and trails Slade and Suarez by a score.
• Emma Kruse made some big saves late as VCU's defense refused to relent the tying score.

Quotable

• "It's great to earn another three points on the road tonight. I felt that we came out a bit timid in the first half, gave up a goal, had to fight back for the equalizer and game winner. Julia and Sharon had two superb goals for us tonight, one in the run of play and the other off a set piece from just outside the box. Credit to Mason for playing until the final whistle. We got a bit sloppy in the final 30 seconds and they almost tied the game. We must do a better job of managing games in the future. It's something we have talked about before, but we clearly haven't figured it out yet. I'm pleased with the effort and the play overall though. This group just continues to impress me in how far we have come from our early season struggles." - Head Coach Lindsey Martin

What's Next

• The Rams return home on Sunday, October 25 as they host UMass in A-10. Game time is set for 12:30 p.m.