Mason’s Winless Streak Grows to Eight Games

By Broadside Assistant Sports Editor Brian Chan

After many missed opportunities, the College of William & Mary Tribe finally knocked one in. For the first 80 minutes, 1,092 screaming fans of both teams had to catch a breath after close plays one after another. After making eight terrific saves in the second half, George Mason University goalkeeper Kelly Keelan’s “brick wall” performance was finally vulnerable to the Tribe’s ninth shot with nine minutes left in regulation.

The 1-0 decision marks the team’s seventh shutout loss in the 2008 season. After a surprising win over James Madison University on the road in the CAA opener, the Patriots (4-12-1, 1-7-1) never won on the road again. Returning to the pitch on Friday night, the Patriots took the task to defend their home field against the intruding Tribe (12-5-1, 7-2-0). In a tight-knit battle, the Patriots were unable to capitalize in a game of opportunities for both teams.

The Patriots jumped out early with a scoring opportunity when midfielder Leslie Cabe had possession of the ball inside the box. Cabe fell into a trap of Tribe defenders and was unable to get the shot off.

The Tribe, playing an aggressive vertical offense throughout the game, had numerous chances at tallying the game’s first goal. In the 25th minute, the Tribe set up deep in the Mason zone, but a shot wide of the net kept the score tied at zero. In the 31st minute, with some room in front, forward Claire Zimmeck took a shot that sailed wide.

The Tribe made its move early in the second half with a near 46th minute goal, but only a standout goalkeeper in Keelan made quality stops. After a Tribe corner kick, Keelan had to cover up a live ball, preserving a scoreless tie. The Mason junior goalkeeper made seven total saves as her counterpart Meghan Walker made five stops to earn the shutout win.

Both goalkeepers were outstanding as Keelan made stops from a variety of shots taken. These shots included one-timers, centering passes and even a header from forward Dani Collins. Even when it seemed the Tribe finally got past Keelan, the Mason defense came to the rescue when Zimmeck’s shot was deflected by defender Nicole Peters in the 72nd minute. Zimmeck was denied again when her header was stopped by Keelan with 12 minutes left.

William & Mary broke through Mason’s defense earlier, but came up without any success. That ended in the 82nd minute when midfielder Krissy Vornadore found teammate Stephanie Gerow for what had been a well-executed goal.

“It is heart-wrenching since we played against a good team hand-in-hand,” said forward Colleen Killiany. “We had our chances too, but it is unfortunate it did not go our way. Soccer is a game of chances. For us, it can be frustrating.”

A minute before the Gerow goal, Killiany had a good look from 18 yards out, but was stopped by Walker. After William & Mary went ahead, Mason played more aggressively in the latter part of the second half. With the Tribe committing ill-advised fouls, the Patriots desperately looked for chances to get close to the opposing net. In the 87th minute, defender Jessica Paris took the corner kick, which was headed by midfielder Katy Gray right in front of the net. The Tribe defense made the save and prevented the game from going into overtime.

Paris and midfielder Nilani Duarte will close out their careers with more than 10 losses in their final season with the Patriots. This eliminates them from postseason play after posting an 8-10-1 record and qualifying for the CAA playoffs last season.

“Even though we will not make the playoffs, I think just the fact that we have been fighting hard makes us a tough team to beat. Tonight’s game shows just that, and we will continue to keep the Mason name strong,” Killiany said.