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 GW has won its last two meetings with Rhode Island. |
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Colonials Return to Mount Vernon for Two Atlantic 10 Matches
Oct. 7, 2004
WASHINGTON, DC - The George Washington men's soccer team (1-6-2, 0-1-1 Atlantic 10) returns home for two Atlantic 10 conference contests this weekend after playing eight of its first nine matches on the road. The Colonials will meet defending conference champion Rhode Island on Friday, Oct. 8 at 3:00 p.m. and square off against Massachusetts on Sunday, Oct. 10 at 1:00 p.m.
GW snapped its five-game losing streak on Oct. 3, tying Fordham, 1-1, in double overtime. Junior Jon Allen notched the Colonials' only goal of the contest and leads the team with three tallies and seven total points on the season. Sophomore transfer Arturo Pedroso recorded an assist in the match, his first point as a Colonial. Freshman John Jaszczyszyn saw his first game action of 2004 against the Rams.
Junior goalkeeper Derek Biss ranks eighth in the Atlantic 10 in saves (32) and goals-against average (1.55). GW is also tied for third in the league with 14 assists.
Rhode Island owns a 6-4 overall record and is 1-1 in conference play. The Rams are ranked fifth in the most recent NSCAA regional rankings for New England and leads the Atlantic 10 in shots (159), points (66), goals (23) and assists (20).
The Rams are coming of a 3-0 shutout against St. Joseph's on Oct. 3. The victory marked the 200th career win for Rhode Island head coach Ed Bradley. Senior Sasha Gotsmanov tallied his conference-leading 10th goal of the year in the match. Gotsmanov is also tops in the A-10 in points with 23 and ranks sixth nationally among Division I men's soccer players in points per game (2.3). Sophomore Jeffrey Gonsalves ranks second in league in points with 14 and is tied for second in the A-10 with five goals. Junior keeper Dean Ruddy has played every minute in goal for the Rams and is tied for the league lead with three shutouts.
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Massachusetts is 3-5-2 through its first 10 games and owns a 0-0-2 record in A-10 competition. The Minutemen have played four consecutive overtime matches, including tying Temple and Saint Joseph's, 1-1, in back-to-back games last weekend.
Rob Charest and Oral Bullen are tied for the team lead with 12 points. Both players are tied for second in the A-10 with five goals each. The Minutemen's goalkeepers have each started five matches. Nick Billman has played 486:30 and has made 22 saves. Billman also owns a 1.85 goals-against average and a .688 save percentage. Colin Burns has played 488:02 in net this season and has a 2.03 goals-against average. He has recorded 15 saves.
Massachusetts will play at Richmond on Friday, Oct. 8 before clashing with the Colonials on Sunday.
GW has beaten Rhode Island in each of the previous two seasons, including shutting out the Rams, 1-0, in 2003. The Colonials have lost its last six encounters with the Minutemen. GW's last victory versus Massachusetts came in 1997 by the score of 2-1.
