The Shadow
FAIRFAX, Va. — Down to 10 men after a 26th-minute red card, the No. 11 Virginia men’s soccer team (2-1) couldn’t overcome an early deficit. The Cavaliers fell 4-1 to George Mason (1-1) on Thursday night (Aug. 28) at George Mason Stadium in a match marked by 16 yellow cards and a pair of ejections.
Goals (Assist)
18’ George Mason – Sereno (Jansen, Eliuda)
26’ George Mason – Eliuda (Gonzalez Fernandez)
57’ Virginia – Simmonds (Oulouheu)
60’ George Mason – Sereno (Tucker, Montava)
76’ George Mason – Sanfeliu (Gonzalez Fernandez)
How it Happened:
- George Mason opened the scoring in the 18thminute when a cross from the byline found the foot of Martim Sereno who converted from inside the penalty area.
- The Cavaliers were quickly on the front foot after conceding for the first time in 2025 as Nick Simmonds, Albin Gashi, Sami Oulouheu and Umberto Pelà all registered attempts at goal.
- In the 26th minute of play, Virginia’s Zach Ehrenpreis was shown a red card for denial of a clear goalscoring opportunity. George Mason converted on the resulting free kick to make the score 2-0. The Cavaliers would play the remainder of the match with 10 men.
- In the 57th minute of play, the Cavaliers pulled one back. After a Cavalier corner kick was headed out of the box, Sami Oulouheu sent a cross back to the far post where Nick Simmonds headed it in for 2-1.
- Three minutes later, the Patriots restored their two-goal lead as Serano scored his second of the match off a deflection inside the penalty area.
- George Mason would add a fourth in the 76thminute. After an initial attempt that hit the post, Jacobo Sanfeliu tapped a rebound into the back of the net for 4-1.
- George Mason’s Will Carson was shown a second yellow in the 85th minute putting the Patriots down to 10 men for the final five minutes of the match.
Additional Notes:
- The loss snaps an eight-game winning streak over the Patriots and marks UVA’s first loss to GMU since 1996
- The Cavaliers fall to 21-9-3 in the all-time series with George Mason
- Virginia falls to 6-5-2 against George Mason in Fairfax
- Nick Simmonds notched the first goal of his collegiate career
- Sami Oulouheu’s assist marks the first of his career
- Virginia took 16 shots with seven on target
- George Mason registered 18 total shots with eight on target
- Casper Mols made four saves in goal
- The teams combined for 16 yellow cards (GMU 10, UVA 6)
- Zach Ehrenpreis was shown a straight red card in the 26th minute
Up Next:
The Cavaliers will be back in action on Monday (Sept. 1)when they host American at Klöckner Stadium. Kickoff at is set for 7 p.m. on ACCNX.
