WILMINGTON, N.C. -
Fresh off a 2-0 win at James Madison earlier in the week, UNC Wilmington looks
to stay unbeaten in the Colonial Athletic Association when it hosts defending
conference champion George Mason on Saturday for a 7 p.m. kickoff.
The win at James Madison helped the Seahawks stay in
second-place in the CAA, one point behind Northeastern and one point ahead of
William & Mary and Hofstra. Only the top four in the conference standings qualify
for the CAA Championship tournament which will be held at the regular season
champion's home field.
Juniors Tyler Wheaton and Daniel Roberts notched goals in
Wednesday's win over the Dukes. The win was the first for the Seahawks in
Harrisonburg and halting a string of 15 games without a victory at the JMU
Soccer Complex.
UNCW Head Coach Aidan Heaney also earned his 100th career
win as a head coach, 79 of those wins coming with the Teal and Blue. Heaney
started his head coaching career with 21 wins in two seasons at Appalachian
State.
Wheaton continues to lead the Seahawks in scoring with
career-highs of 13 points on five goals and three assists. Eleven different
Seahawks have scored a goal this season while 13 have recorded a point.
Junior goalkeeper Brock Duckworth fashioned his fifth
shutout of the season, making five saves. Duckworth entered the week ranked
12th in save percentage (.871). He also continues his climb among UNCW's
all-time leaders, lowering his goals against average to 1.26 and ranking second
only to current Major League Soccer goalie Brad Knighton of the New England
Revolution.
George Mason has won its last two outings by identical
scores of 3-1, topping both Georgia State and Drexel. The Patriots finished
third in 2008, but used a high-octane offense to score 11 goals in three games
and capture the CAA title and the automatic berth to the NCAA tournament. This
season, GMU sits in fifth-place, three points out of the CAA tournament hunt.
Offensively, junior college transfer Victor Freeman leads
the side, which has collected 28 goals and ranks second in the 12-team league,
with seven goals and four assists. In goal, Sean Kelly has compiled a 0.93
goals against average while making 69 saves. He has played all but 14:21 of the
team's minutes this season.
The Patriots hold a 21-4-2 lead in the all-time series and
have won the last three, including a 1-0 decision last season in Fairfax, Va.
The Seahawks will have a quick turnaround heading into their
next match on Nov. 2, when they host Drexel at noon. This is a make-up of a
game that was rained out on Sept. 26. UNCW will then close out its regular
season with a road game at Hofstra on Nov. 7.