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STATESMEN SCOREBOARD    VARSITY, MON 3/19 GEORGE MASON  9   MARSHALL  4      JV, MON 3/19 MARSHALL  1   GEORGE MASON  1

George Mason High School, 3/19/07 --
VARSITY FALLS 9-4 TO GEORGE MASON, JV TIES

Amazing! Senior goalie Kevin Hia goes AIRBORNE to block this shot!

View From The Stands says it was cold and yucky out there (yes, that's a technical term :-). OK, so it was definitely cold. But frankly it was the George Mason Mustangs who really made the night unpleasant. Oh man, they are quick!

In the opener, our JV squad battled and fought and scratched and clawed ... but the offense just never got on track. Fortunately, our JV defense played extremely tight: in fact we battled and fought and scratched and clawed. :-) In the end, the scoreboard reflected the strength of the defenses, and the difficulties that both teams had getting anything started on offense. The final turned out as a brutal, hard-earned 1-1 tie. (Man, can't we do a shootout or something? :-)

In the nightcap, our Varsity squad opened up with a couple of really nice plays and it looked like our offense was going to break out in a way that the JV never did. But then the Mustangs' defense seemed to get a second wind, their offense started to build on their pretty-remarkable team quickness, but most importantly George Mason started to pick up the loose balls. And against a fast team like the Mustangs, that meant we were always a step or two behind. We were reaching a lot, or chasing, or running just to try to get back in the play (never a recipe for success). Despite our early success, the Mustangs took the nightcap by a score of 9-4.

Hayfield is up next, and our Statesmen are finally COMING HOME for a game! ... so ya gotta be there for this one! Small school BIG HEART. Be there Marshall fans!

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VARSITY GAME: GEORGE MASON 9 - MARSHALL 4
These are pictures from the Varsity game. Pictures from the JV game are on the JV Pix page!

#6 Kevin Hia and #1 Ben Yazman lead our Statesmen into Mustangs' stadium!

Everyone is fired up for the Showdown on Leesburg Pike! (#18 is Senior Dylan Smith)

The action is fast and furious as the Mustangs set the pace (fast) and our defense responds (furious). This is Kevin Hia on the clear, but ... wait a second ... this field seems odd in some way

OH-MY-GOODNESS that's what's different! We're on ASTROTURF! Long stick middie Jonathan Chambers (#20) blasts through the check to bring it upfield

And those are ... what? ... soccer goals behind the endlines? Matt Stonehill (#10) is trying to disrupt the Mustangs' clear, but *I'm* still struggling with the layout of this field :-)

Oh wait, did someone say "Cold and Yucky"? The referee is wearin' earmuffs, gloves and his best fur-lined zebra shirt.

OK, so I'm over the conditions ... now let's PLAY SOME LACROSSE!

Fast and furious in front of both nets ... it seems the Varsity game is gonna be a bit more wide open than the JV contest. That's Kevin Hia (#6) leading a crowd of Mustangs out of our zone.

On the other end of the field, Sam Mencarini (#3) chases down the George Mason goalie!

At this pace, stick-handling is at a premium! Jonathan Chambers makes it through the first check and reaches high to keep possession

Great chance! Matt Stonehill lets loose with a blast from just outside the crease ... but SMACKS the goalie right in the chest! (Look close ... or click on the photo for a close-up!)

BOOM!  *There* we go!  Senior attacker John Zettler (#7) gets past a wave of Mustang defenders and quickly finds the back of the net!

We're movin' the ball well, but we've gotta make every possession count

Junior attacker Buddy Stolze (#4) hangs on against a tight check

Junior Jason Cheng (#22) works his way through traffic!

On defense, Co-Capt Ben Yazman is a terror WHENEVER the 'Stangs offense gets close.

Back and forth we go! Eliot Gehley (#11) clears the ball with authority

Oh man, we're playin' too much on the wrong side of the field! Senior defenseman Chris Newcomb (#27) finishes the clear, but we need to KEEP the ball down on their end for a while!

SWEET!  Now we're putting on the pressure!  Sophomore middie Sam Newland (#17) stakes out his ground right in front.

We take a quick break at halftime, but our Statesmen really wanna get back on the field! We are ITCHIN' TO GO!

WOW!  The second half starts with a bang as Kevin Hia takes to the air to block a wanna-be leaping attacker!

Pop quiz. Exactly how many penalties can you see in this pic? Sam Mencarini takes THREE for the team :-)

BOOM!  This photo reminds me of those African safari pictures. One lion stands over the gazelle while others in the pride stand guard.  In this pic, Ben Yazman is the lead lion (#1), while Sam Newland (#17) and Eliot Gehley (#11) prowl for the loose ball :-)

Man this game is goin' fast! Sam Mencarini scoops in full stride!

After getting the ball, Sam backtracks to let the defender sail past!

Jonathan Chambers is always ready to mix it up for a loose ball!

Sweet!  Michael Born (#24) leans back to fire off a sidearm heater. The Mustang defender is just a quarter-step late! :-)

Sam Mencarini presses the attack but faces a thicket of sticks. (Let's reset! :-)

Too many sticks in the way? Sam goes SUBMARINE and we're startin' to put some points on the board!

We get the score but then we've gotta get the ball back! Junior middie Bobby Paulini takes the face off.

Matt Stonehill chases the clear ... we're divin' for EVERYTHING! (OK, but can he stay away from the helmet on this one? :-) It's been a long night and we pulled out all the stops. But in the end, the Mustangs just put too many shots on goal.

Taylor Delean (#30) takes out the shooter, but the ground ball shot takes a high bounce over Kevin's block. Final score is a disappointing 9-4 loss to George Mason's Mustangs.

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Your moment of Statesmen Zen is all about pipes management. :-)  Matt Chamberlin (#12) gets great postiion, a clean swing, and the defenders are all on the wings racing to close the lane. But the shot? Yup, it NAILS the pipe. Rough on the pipe, but View From The Stands shows little sympathy for its pain :-)