The GW men’s soccer team lost to George Mason University 2-1 Wednesday in a hard-fought defensive match played at George Mason Stadium.

After the scoreless first half, GW’s sophomore forward and leading goal-scorer Jason Holloway started the scoring, giving the Colonials a 1-0 lead in the 51st minute. The goal came off assists from freshman Matthew Osborne and sophomore Mike Goldman. Goldman’s assist kept him tied with GMU’s Jose Maldonado for the lead in assists in the South Atlantic Region.

GW’s lead was short-lived, however, as Josh Ferguson tied the score for the Patriots with a shot over GW goalkeeper Michael Jelencovich in the 59th minute.

Luis-Carlos Sossa scored the winning goal for George Mason (3-2-1) in the 82nd minute. After a GW player committed a foul at the top of the box, Maldonado made a quick restart, which Sossa turned into a 12-yard strike past Jelencovich.

GW (1-3-1) kept up its intense offensive pressure for the rest of the half but couldn’t capitalize on several scoring opportunities, including a shot in the 88th minute by Osborne that slammed off the crossbar.

GW outshot the Patriots 19-14 overall and dominated them 13-6 in the second half.

-Matthew J. Curry