Dukes Shut Out George Mason for Third Straight Win

Tuesday, September 7

Harrisonburg, Va.

7 p.m.

James Madison University

3-1-0, 0-0-0

George Mason

1-2-1, 0-0-0

George Mason

Dukes

9/7/2021 10:24:00 PM | Men's Soccer

Box Score Photo Gallery

HARRISONBURG, Va. – In his first career start, Alex DeSatnick recorded a shutout to lead JMU to their third straight win as they took down George Mason, 2-0, on Tuesday night at Sentara Park.

The Dukes have beaten three of their first four non-conference opponents for the first time since 2013 and move to 3-1, while the Patriots fall to 1-2-1.

Rodrigo Robles set the tone for how the Dukes would play in the first half, firing off a shot wide 1:37 into the match. The Dukes then sent a pair of shots off in the 13^th minute, as Clay Obara corralled Josiah Blanton's shot and fired off his own, which was saved. The Dukes continued to put pressure on the Mason defense, until capitalizing in the 42^nd minute.

The Dukes were rewarded a corner kick on the far corner and Alex Krakowiak placed his kick perfectly for Melker Anshelm to head in his first goal of the season and give JMU a 1-0 lead to enter halftime with. The Dukes outshot Mason 8-0 and did not allow the visitors to take a corner kick.

Mason opened up the second half with their first shot of the match in the 47^th minute, as DeSatnick recorded the save in the bottom right of the net. The teams then traded throw ins with each other, with neither team getting much advantage over the other until Robles fired off a shot in the 62^nd minute. A through ball from Krakowiak, Blanton played his touch perfectly to Robles, who then played the ball to his right before firing and curving his shot into the upper right corner of the goal for the 2-0 JMU lead.

The Patriots' offense continued to apply the pressure in the second half that they lacked in the first 45 minutes of play, but the JMU defense held strong with five total saves to hold on to the 2-0 victory.

Game Notes

Alex DeSatnick recorded a career-high three saves in the contest.
JMU had their fourth straight match with double-digit shots, firing off 12.
The Dukes had eight shots on goal, with each one coming from a different player.

Quoting Head Coach Paul Zazenski
"Tonight was a solid performance all the way around. Our first half was our most complete half we have played all year and we were especially pleased on the defensive side of the ball. The second half was more even, but it was good to get that second goal and see out the game. Our focus is now on CAA play with a big game this weekend!"

Up Next
The Dukes are back in action on Saturday, Sept. 11 as they welcome the College of Charleston to Sentara Park. Kickoff is scheduled for 7 p.m.