WASHINGTON - Gilbert Gaertner ripped a shot from the top of the box and it caromed off American keeper Michael Behonick and into the goal, to provide the winning margin for George Mason in a men's soccer match this afternoon at a windy Reeves Field. The loss was the second straight for the Eagles, and third in their last four games.

The local rivals played a very even game through the first half, with George Mason (6-6-0) holding a slim advantage in shots, 3-2, at the half. Neither team mustered a serious scoring threat in the period, though the Patriots did hold a 3-1 margin in corner kicks.

With American (5-6-0) starting to control the flow of play in the early stages of the second half, George Mason used a quick counter attack to get on the scoreboard. Gaertner collected a pass from Matt Friedman, carried it to the top of the box, and unloaded a blast directly at Behonick. Behonick pushed the ball up in the air, attempting to carry it over the goal, but the ball fell in, just inside the crossbar.

Feeding off their first goal, the Patriots struck again less than two minutes later. Coming off a long throw, Danny Climo led Laszlo Juhasz into the top of the box. Juhasz ripped a shot into the lower-left corner of the net, beating a diving Behonick.

American never got its offense going this afternoon, testing George Mason keeper John O'Hara just once. Behonick made three stops for the Eagles.

This was the first meeting between the schools since American left the Colonial Athletic Association for the Patriot League. The Eagles had won the two previous meetings, by convincing 3-0 and 2-0 margins, respectively, and was 3-1-1 against the Patriots in the previous five meetings.

American returns to action on Saturday, Oct. 20, when it hosts No. 17 Princeton as part of Homecoming Weekend festivities. The Eagles and Tigers kickoff at 2:00 p.m. at Reeves Field.