Men’s soccer team falls to George Mason, drops out of playoff contention

It was the 22nd minute of the game and Delaware had controlled the ball, the tempo and the
opportunities against George Mason, but none of that mattered at the moment when junior
midfielder Drew Colletti slid with two feet in a 50-50 challenge.

The referee blew his whistle, and much to junior midfielder Vincent Mediate’s surprise, the red
card came out. Mediate said he was flabbergasted to see the red card because no warning yellow
card had been shown.

Head coach Ian Hennessy said it was a harsh tackle, and it was probably one Colletti would
want back, but it was a red card in the referee’s opinion. The decision really set the Hens back,
according to Hennessy.

“Their energy was great, the commitment was great, their focus was great, they had a clear task
at hand and something like that happens, and it’s a game changer,” Hennessy said. “But I told
them we win as a group, we lose as a group, it’s not just about that one decision.”

Delaware lost the game, 2-0, due to two second-half goals. However, the Hens managed to
control most of the first half down a man.

Delaware recorded eight more shots than George Mason in the first half. Mediate said he saw
open space in the beginning of the game, and the Hens were able to move the ball around easily
because of the lack of defense.

“I thought we had a great half,” Mediate said. “There was no pressure from them. We had time
to play, but the red card hurt us a little bit. Still, I didn’t see any danger from them.”

Despite playing down one man, the Delaware offense was able to control most of the play, the
Hens failed to score for the eighth time this year. Hennessy said the team isn’t as potent on the
attacking side as they were last year. He said with the injuries that have occurred and players the
team lost to graduation, the Hens just cannot put the ball in the back of the net.

Delaware hasn’t been able to score, but the Hens defense has made small mistakes that have led to goals over the last few games. Delaware has allowed an open net goal in three of the last four matches. Those defensive lapses played played a major role in this game.

The most dangerous player for the Patriots was attacker Taylor Morgan. In the 59th minute,
Morgan took control of the ball in the box and curled it into the back left corner of the net around
sophomore goalkeeper Jay Lupas.

Twelve minutes later, Morgan took advantage of another miscue by the Hens. A bouncing ball
was coming into to Lupas, and he went up to grab it, but it slipped through his hands and fell to
the George Mason attacker. Morgan slipped the ball into the net and Delaware’s fate was sealed.

Junior defender John Dineen said some of the defensive miscommunications that have occurred
this year are because of all the injuries and changes. He said Delaware has switched center backs
many times this year, and the defense hasn’t been able to get comfortable.

Dineen is out for the season due to a MCL injury he suffered against Drexel on Oct. 17. He was
the latest Hen to get hurt. Sophomore defender Tobias Müller, freshman defender Ben Sampson,
junior forward Roberto Giménez and now Dineen have all missed time because of injuries this
year.

“We’ve had a rough year with injuries and stuff and luck in general,” Dineen said. “To be
honest, it’s very frustrating. It’s more frustrating watching and losing than playing and losing
because when you are playing at least you feel you’re out there and contributed.”

With the loss, the Hens needed to win their final two games to make it into the CAA
Tournament. In Saturday’s away match-up against William & Mary, Delaware went into the
half winning 2-1. However, the Hens allowed two second half goals and were eliminated from
tournament contention.

Even though the season is effectively over, the Hens still hope to get their first home win in the
regular season finale Wednesday against UNC Wilmington.

“It is just one of those things for us at this moment,” Hennessy said. “It’s Murphy’s Law,
whatever can go wrong will go wrong for us right now.”