WASHINGTON, D.C. - It took extra minutes, but the George
Mason men's soccer team captured its
third-consecutive D.C. College Cup title as sophomore Timi Mulgrew netted a game-winning
goal in the second overtime session to help lift the Patriots over host
American, 2-1, on Saturday afternoon.
Mulgrew's game-winner came just 2:34 into the second
overtime period, as he paired with freshman Ghiles Harmouche on a feed into the box to
send the ball past American keeper Billy Knutsen for the dramatic finish to
help Mason claim the D.C. College Cup as it went 2-0 in the two-day tourney
with wins over George Washington and American.
With the win, Mason improved to 3-0 while American dropped
to 2-2. Mulgrew was tabbed as the tournament MVP, while juniors Zak Haapooja, Alex
Herrera and Hugh Roberts joined Mulgrew on the All-Tournament squad.
"Today was
a physical battle and a psychological battle," said Head Coach Greg Andrulis. "We
persevered against a very good American team. Congrats to the team for hanging
tough and earning a hard fought result."
The Patriots trailed for the first time this season as the
Eagles struck in the 18th minute. Colin Seigfreid crossed the ball
into the box, where Cristobal Soto redirected the kick past Mason senior keeper Dustin
Butcher for a 1-0 lead.
That lead was shortly lived, as the Patriots responded less
than seven minutes later to knot the match at 1-1. An American foul gave Mason
a free kick just outside of the box, which junior Julio Arjona sent to the top right
corner for his first goal of the season.
The second half saw both teams battle back and forth and
despite putting a combined 11 shots on the board, (Mason 7, American 4) neither
team was able to dent the scoreboard, sending the match to extra minutes.
Mason held the Eagles without a shot in both overtime
sessions and registered four shots of its own in the first overtime session and
one in the second en route to claiming the title.
For the match, Mason had an 18-9 advantage in shots and a
4-3 edge in corner kicks.
Mulgrew finished with a match-high three shots, including
two on goal, and Paul Andrews also added three shots on the day. Butcher
improved to 3-0, allowing one goal while recording two saves. AU's Knutsen had
four saves in the match.
Mason returns to action next Friday, kicking off a five game
homestand with a match against St. Peter's at 7:00 pm.
