Fri., Aug. 26, 2016 • 4:30 p.m. • Washington, D.C. • Reeves Field (2,500)
George Mason (0-0) at American (0-0) 
All-Time Record: George Mason leads 19-18-5
Last Meeting: American 3 - George Mason 1, Aug. 30, 2015
Live Stats

The American University men's soccer team will host local rival George Mason on Friday afternoon to kick off the 2016 campaign.

The Eagles are coming off a 14-5-3 record in 2015 and nearly missed out on the NCAA Tournament after falling to Lehigh in the Patriot League Championship last November. 

American picked first in the PL Preseason Coaches' Poll, return a solid core of upperclassmen to the mix. The Eagles placed three players on the All-PL Preseason Team. Seniors Panos Nakhid, Dale Ludwig and Jake Garcia will look to take the Eagles back to the NCAA Tournament for the first time since 2004.

Ludwig and Nakhid will look to add to the Eagles' offensive unit that lost top scorer Liam Robley to graduation. Ludwig finished third in points with 15 behind Robley and classmate Vinny Barone. Nakhid ended his junior season with 10 points on four goals and two assists. Both playmakers have trained hard during the off-season and will be asked to carry a heavy load on offense. 

On defense, Garcia will team up with classmate Michael Cherry to once again be the last line of defense for the Eagles. The Cherry-Garcia unit along with classmate Chris Fanet was responsible for allowing less than a goal per game in 2015. 

George Mason was picked seventh in the Atlantic 10 Conference Preseason Poll, George Mason placed four players on the All-A10 Preseason Team. Junior Henning Dirks was added to the all-conference team, while freshmen Tunde Akinlosotu, Raheem Lawal and Grant Robinson were tabbed to the all-rookie squad.

American will hit the road after Friday's contest with a trip down South to face South Florida on Monday evening.