John Powell, Assistant Sports Editor
Overview: The George Mason University women’s soccer team looks for another win as they take on the James Madison Dukes. Going into the Mason Tournament, the team has won every game played in the state of Virginia. The Patriots hope to continue their home success against the Dukes.
Mason: The Patriots (5-1-0) came out of the Tribe Invitational with a tournament win and a ranking as the seventh-best team in the Mid-Atlantic region.
Mason has won its four games at home, scoring a combined 14 goals while holding opponents to only two, bringing them to fifth in the nation in scoring offense.
The main contributor to this new ranking is senior forward Kelly Keelan, who won the CAA Women’s Soccer Player of the Week award. This is the second time Keelan has garnered this award, in addition to last year when she played as a goaltender, showing her positional diversity.
Freshman forward Tiana Kallenberger won the CAA Women’s Soccer Co-Rookie of the Week award. Second in goals and assists on the team, she is a foundational forward for the team. Kallenberger and Keelan are both ranked in the top 60 in the nation in scoring.
James Madison University: The Dukes (4-3-0) have found themselves as the fourth ranked team in the Mid-Atlantic on the back of their goaltender, making up for a non-potent offense.
The Dukes’ redshirt junior goaltender Diane Wszalek has 28 saves over the season including two games where she recorded at least eight saves. Wszalek looks to rebound from last year’s 2-1 loss to Mason, in which junior defender Kimmy Moss notched the game-winner.
The Dukes look to wrap up a four-game road trip with a win before opening up a three-game set at home.
Note: Records and statistics for both teams retrieved Sept. 16.
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