Generals Too Much For Mustangs on Senior Night

Giving up quick breakaways at the start of each half proved to be too much of a hole to dig out of, and George Mason fell to Washington-Lee 18-9 on Wednesday's senior night. Abby Johansen led all scorers with five goals to highlight the 2011 class, and freshman Maeve Curtain added three to provide some hope that this year’s disappointing record will be nothing more than a blip on the radar.

The Generals used long, controlled possessions to prevent the Mustang offense from taking the ball past midfield for the first 3:30 and took a 2-0 lead before Curtain got on the board. W-L went on the extend the lead to 8-1 before Johansen started a quick rally.

The Old Dominion University recruit fired a quick shot into the net off a pass from Abby Vanburen, and after another W-L tally, added another one on a direct shot to cut the deficit to 9-3. Susannah Whittle appeared to finally start settling down and made her first save of the night after that, and Curtain scored perhaps the most impressive goal of the night on a laser to the top left corner of the cage off an assist from Emma Washa.

That pulled Mason within five at 9-4, but the Mustangs were unable to get any closer, heading into halftime down 10-5 after Emily Bell added a goal on a direct shot with less than two minutes remaining in the first.

The Generals again struck early in the second half, and despite an impressive save from Whittle on the first shot after the break, went on a 6-1 run and essentially put the game out of reach at 16-6. Curtain scored the only Mustangs goal during that stretch with a couple of nifty moves inside to maneuver around three defenders.

That didn’t stop Johansen from giving everything she had in her final home game as she added two more marks to close out the game, the first on an assist from Emily Rosenburg and the second on her own.

After losing 11 seniors from last year’s Dulles District runner-up squad that finished 15-2, Mason has struggled to its first losing season in recent memory. But with only three members of the 2011 class leaving (Johansen, Amanda Rolander and Brittney Rorrer), the Mustangs appear ready to bounce back with 11 sophomores who should make up a core similar to the one that keyed last year’s success.