Sports
Archive 2002-2003

Final Inside Update
How Tennis Came So Close,
Only to Fall 4-5 in Finals
By Alex LaCoste (June 15, 2003)
The GMHS girls tennis team fell just short of a state championship last Saturday, falling hard to Gate City 4-5.

Radford Sports Update
Girls’ Soccer, Tennis Fall at States
(June 8, 2003, 9:30 pm)
The defending state champion Mustangs fell to arch rival Brentsville High School 4-0 this afternoon on a muddy, rain-drenched field at Radford College.

Sports Update from Radford
Girls’ Soccer Wins; Face Tigers in Final;
Girls’ Tennis Wins, Play Today in Final
(June 7, 2003)
Sophomore midfielder Rachel Sweeney and junior midfielder Alison Penland each scored a goal in the second half against Glenvar High School to earn a 2-0 victory in the soccer state semifinals last night...

Boys' Tennis Report
By Luke Rabin
Special reporter for Lasso Online (June 6, 2003)
After months of practice, the season of the boys' varsity tennis team is finally coming to a close. With the help of coaches Dave Garrison and Si Nerone, the team has done remarkably well regarding the circumstances. 

Girls’ Tennis
Mustangs Capture Regional Title;
Head to States at Radford Wed.
Sedney Wins Singles; Sedney, LaCoste Win Doubles
By Alex LaCoste (June 3, 2003)
For the fourth year in a row the girls’ varsity tennis team won the team regional championship, beating Buffalo Gap 5-3 in the finals on Saturday.

Track
Six Turn in Strong Performances
In State Final Meet
By Mark Murchie (June 3, 2003)
The six George Mason track stars that qualified for states, turned in strong performances last Saturday at the University of Virginia.

Girls’ Varsity Soccer
Mustangs Finally Beat Tigers, 5-2;
Head to States as Regional Champs
(May 31, 2003)
With only 10 minutes separating her Mustangs from a fourth consecutive defeat to arch rival Brentsville, sophomore Rachel Sweeney slammed her own rebound into the net to tie the Tigers 1-1 and send the game into overtime and Mason then won the Region B championship 5-2 on penalty kicks on its home field last night.
 

Girls' Varsity Soccer
Mason De-stings Hornets, 3-1;
Clinch Berth in States
(May 30, 2003)
Mason's 3-1 victory over Wilson Memorial yesterday on the Green Hornets' home field secured a berth in the state semifinals which will be held June 6 at Radford.

Baseball
Tigers Devour Mustangs 13-4;
Mason Ends 5-8 in District
By Chris Campanelli (May 24, 2003)
The Mustangs’ baseball season came to an abrupt finish, losing 13-4 to the Brentsville Tigers Tuesday night. 

Girls’ Tennis
Netters Win District Title;
Sedney Wins Singles Again
By Alex LaCoste (May 23, 2003)
The GMHS girls’ varsity tennis team won the Bull Run District title Monday afternoon after defeating Clarke County 9-0.

Girls’ Lacrosse
Teams Rained In at Westfield
By Sara Kaplow (May 17, 2002)
The first ever appearance in district championships by the new Mason lacrosse teams resulted in a rain out on Thursday afternoon at Westfield.

Girls’ Soccer
Mason Pounces on Cougars 8-0
By: Becky Roa (May 8, 2003)
Stooping to the Cougars’ level of play, the Lady Mustangs nevertheless remained talented enough to prevail 8-0 against Manassas Park at home Tuesday.

Lacrosse Honors Seniors
Girls Knock Off McLean 12-6;
Boys Beat Yorktown
By Sara Kaplow (May 6, 2003)
The Mason girl’s lacrosse team ended their tiring week with another win against the McLean School.

Girls’ Soccer
Mustangs Corral Panthers 6-1;
Record Grows to 9-2
By Loreto Martinez and Becky Roa (May 5, 2003)
The Lady Mustangs stampeded through Rappanhannock County’s defense (6-1) last Friday on Mason’s home turf.

Girls’ Soccer
Mustangs Knock off Raiders,
Mountaineers; Surge to 8-2
By: Loreto Martinez and Becky Roa (May 2, 2003)
The Lady Mustangs competed against district rival Madison County and non-district AAA Jeb Stuart High Schools and successfully defeated these opponents 3-1 and 2-0, respectively, in games earlier this week.

Girls’ Soccer
Mustangs Defang Cougars 10-0
By Loreto Martinez and Becky Roa (April 29, 2003)
The Lady Mustangs trampled the Manassas Park Cougars 10-0 on Cougar territory Wednesday night.

Softball
Mustangs Welcome 2 Maine Teams,
Then Teach Them a Lesson
By Andrea Genovese Soares (April 29, 2003)
The JV and varsity softball teams welcomed two teams from Maine that had come to spend their spring break in the Washington, DC, area.

Girls' Tennis
Netters Shut Out Generals 9-0;
Move to 2-1 on the Year
By Alex LaCoste (April 27, 2003)
The George Mason girls' varsity tennis team achieved its second win of the season against Stonewall Jackson H.S. on the Generals' home court last Wednesday.

Boys’ and Girls’ Track
Mason Runners and Throwers Excel
In Losses to Madison County 
By Mark Murchie (April 26, 2003)
In the track teams’ last home meet of the year against the Madison County Mountaineers, both the boys’ and girls’ teams were unable to come out with victories. However, both teams turned in strong performances.

Girls’ Soccer
Mustangs Fall to Tigers, 4-1,
Meet Cougars Tonight
By Becky Roa and Loreto Martinez (April 23, 2003)
The Lady Mustangs (4-2-0) confronted Brentsville (6-0-0) last Tuesday night on the Tigers’ home field and left devastated with the 4-1 loss.

First Track Meet, Manassas Park
Murchie Paces Boys' Team;
Maynard Anchors Distaff Side
By Mark Murchie (April 12, 2003)
In its first meet of the year against the defending district champions, the George Mason boys' track team came close to winning the meet, but fell 72 – 57 to Manassas Park on Wednesday, April 2.

Girls’ Varsity Soccer
Mustangs Down Mountaineers 5-1
Becky Roa (April 10, 2003)
The Lady Mustangs improved their regular season record to 2-1 as they defeated the Madison County Mountaineers 5-1 at home Friday night.

Girls’ Varsity Lacrosse
Mason Wins First Game in Concorde District, 8-1 Over South Lakes
By Sara Kaplow (April 5, 2003)
George Mason’s girls’ varsity lacrosse team won their first game in the Concorde AAA district last night against South Lakes High School. 

Girls’ Soccer
Mustangs Start 1-1; Beat Eagles 5-1,
Lose to Tigers 2-0
By Becky Roa and Loreto Martinez (April 3, 2003)
The Lady Mustangs scored a goal by sophomore Christina Kirkbride in the first minute of Tuesday’s away game against Clarke County and never looked back as they dominated the Eagles 5-1.

Girls’ Soccer
Wilhelm Shuts Down Rams, Helps
Mason Hold Its Own in 0-0 Tie
By Becky Roa and Loreto Martinez (March 18, 2003)
Having lost four key players from last year’s girls’ varsity soccer State A Championship team, the remaining players and this year’s core felt unsure about their first match of the season against the AAA state champs, Robinson High School. 

Wrestling Roundup
Ehmer, Melancon Perform Well at States
By Captain Shaw Cohe (special to Lasso Online, March 15, 2003)
George Mason wrestlers have reason to celebrate. Two of the team members, Colin Ehmer and Devlan Melancon competed in the State Tournament, both finishing in the top 12 in the state.

Varsity Basketball
In a Nail Biter, Mason Loses 58-57,
Finishes 12-19, 3rd in Districts;
Williams Makes 2nd Team All District
By Evan Hamme (February 28, 2003)
Mason ended its season with a disappointing loss to Madison County, 58-57, last Thursday night on the Mustangs’ home court.

Girls’ Varsity Soccer
Coaches ‘Raise the Bar’ as over 30 Players
Turn Out on First Day of Practice 
By: Rebecca Roa and Loreto Martinez (February 27, 2003)
As the 2003 girls’ soccer season kicked off this week on the first official day of practice, more than 30 zealous girls competed against each other to gain the approval of coaches Clifford "Cliff" Caroll and Bob Penland at Monday’s tryouts.

Capture District Championship
Mason's JV Subdues Eagles 57-54
February 26, 2003
Mason's junior varsity basketball team not only walked away with the Bull Run District championship Saturday night, it also took away "a little sweet revenge," said coach LaBryan Thomas. 

District Cheerleading Finals
Mason Places Second, Moves on to Regionals; Janski Named Best
By Kate O’Hara (February 24, 2003)
The Brentsville District High School gym is filled with friends, family members, and countless others who have come to cheer on the four different squads that have supported their schools at endless events and games.

JV Volleyball
Mustangs Come So Close to Districts,
But Lose to Panthers in ‘Playoff’
By Alex LaCoste (February 22, 2003)
Mason’s junior varsity volleyball team suffered not one, but two losses Tuesday night a week ago against Rappahannock, losing their spot in the district championships.

Varsity Basketball
Mustangs Rebound with 50-39
Win Over Madison County
By Evan Hamme (January 28, 2003)
The Mustangs rebounded from their consecutive devastating losses with a 50-39 win at home last Friday night against district opponent Madison County. 

Varsity Volleyball
Mustangs Triumph Over Previously 
Undefeated Clarke County Eagles
By John Ruffino (January 24, 2003)
The Mustang volleyball team defeated Clarke County this past Tuesday at home.

JV Volleyball
With Another Loss in the Scorebook, Mason Goes 4-3
By: Alex LaCoste (January 24, 2003)
Wednesday night’s game was the 3rd loss in a row for Mason’s JV volleyball team, falling hard to Clarke County 15-13, 15-8.

Varsity Volleyball
Mason Falls to Strasburg, 2-0
By John Ruffino (January 22, 2003)
The George Mason varsity volleyball team fell to Strasburg 2-0 last night on the Mustangs' home court. Strasburg managed to make it past many of the Mustang players, causing a 15-3 score in the first match. 

Varsity Basketball
Mustangs Lose 58-50 to Tigers in
Overtime; Record Now 9-6
By Evan Hamme (January 20, 2003)
The George Mason Mustangs experienced a devastating defeat against district rival Brentsville on Friday night. 

Varsity Volleyball
Mustangs Beat Cougars 15-0, 15-7
By John Ruffino (January 13, 2003)
Mason’s varsity volleyball team beat Manassas Park on Tuesday night here in "the pit."

JV Volleyball
Mustangs Handle Manassas Park,
Up Season Record to Perfect 4 - 0
By: Alex LaCoste (January 10, 2003)
The Mason JV volleyball team put another win behind them Wednesday night against the inexperienced Manassas Park Cougars.

Wrestling
Underclassmen Seek to Fill Gaps 
Left by Departed Seniors
By Tony Clark (December 20, 2002)
With outstanding wrestlers Joey Cohe, Josh Singer and John Henry Pitas graduated, this year’s George Mason wrestlers are looking to rebuild. The team definitely has some gaps to fill, but it also has an array of talented young people that, with time, will become serious contenders.

Varsity Volleyball
Spartans Spike Mustangs 15-3, 15-10
By John Ruffino (December 18, 2002)
The girls’ volleyball team is now 0-2 following its defeat by the Broad Run Spartans Monday night at home. The match ended after the Spartans won the first two games 15-3 and 15-10.

Volleyball
Mustangs Gear Up for New Season
By Lasso Staff (November 28, 2002)

Cross Country at States
In Historic Meet, Boys Place 4th, Girls 6th;
Montgomery 2nd, Maynard 6th
By Steven Gould (November 22, 2002)
Even the cold drizzly rain and the muddy conditions couldn’t drown out the spirits of the boys’ and girls’ cross-country teams on Saturday at the State A Championships at Great Meadows.

Girls’ Basketball
Mustangs Fall to Hornets 51-22
In First Round of Regionals
By Becky Roa (November 22, 2002)
Second-seeded Wilson Memorial ended the Lady Mustangs’ dreams Tuesday night when the taller Green Hornets defeated George Mason 51-22 in the first game of the Regional tournament at Eastern Mennonite University.

Girls’ Basketball
Madison Stops Mason 48-32 in District Finals; But Mustangs Still Play Tonight
By: Becky Roa (November 19, 2002)
The second-seeded George Mason Mustangs lost 48-32 to the first-seeded Madison County Mountaineers for the Bull Run District Championship title on Saturday night at Clarke County High School.

JV Football
Mustangs Put the Hurt on Clarke, 54-7;
Close Out Season 4-1-1
By Tony Clark (November 19, 2002)
The George Mason junior varsity football team beat Clarke County last week 54-7. The team had been on a tight schedule with two games in five days. 

Girls’ Basketball
Mustangs Butt Rams, 48-40 in Overtime;
Head to District Finals Tomorrow
By: Becky Roa (November 15, 2002)
The George Mason Mustangs got revenge for two regular season losses by squeeking by the second-seeded Strasburg Rams last night 48-40 in overtime in the Bull Run District semifinals at Clarke County High School. 

Cross Country
Runners Make School History;
Head to States Tomorrow
By Steven Gould (November 15, 2002)
For the first time in George Mason history, both the girls’ and boys’ cross country teams will compete in the Virginia State A Championships at Great Meadow tomorrow.

Girls' Basketball
Mustangs Crush Cougars 76-27;
Meet the Rams Tonight in Tournament
By: Becky Roa (November 14, 2002)
Utilizing a new defensive scheme that led to dozens of turnovers that in turn led to many fast break points, the Mustangs beat the ManassasPark Cougars 76-27 in the first game of the Bull Run District Tournament held at George Mason Tuesday night.

Varsity Football
Brentsville Provides Unpleasant Déjà vu, Mustangs Lose 28-0 All Over Again
By Chris Campanelli (November 7, 2002)
The Mustangs did little to change what went wrong during last Saturday’s 28-0 loss to Manassas Park, losing by the same score to Brentsville on Tuesday’s in a cold and rainy game under the lights. 

Varsity Football
Mustangs Lose Final Home Game 28-0, Along with Another Quarterback
By Chris Campanelli (November 4, 2002)
The Mustangs fell victim to mistakes once again this weekend, allowing three Manassas Park touchdowns in the first four minutes of Saturday’s Senior Day home game.

Varsity Football
Whittaker Rushes for 119 Yards;
But Eagles Down Mustangs 33-13
By Chris Campanelli (October 30, 2002)
George Mason junior running back Reggie Whittaker’s 119 rushing yards and defensive lineman Chris Epling’s touchdown were not enough to thwart Clarke County Monday night and the Mustangs succumbed 33-13 at the Eagles Homecoming Monday night.

Varsity Football
Mustangs Fall By One to Mountaineers;
Tonight’s Game with Tigers Off
By Chris Campanelli (October 18, 2002)
At the beginning of the fourth quarter in the mud-drenched match at Madison County last Saturday night, the Mustangs found themselves down 15-8 in a fourth and long situation. 

Varsity Football at Home Versus Madison County
Mustangs Wait Out Bye Week; 
Gear Up for District Competition
Chris Campanelli (October 10, 2002)
The Mustang Football team was able to relax this past bye weekend, but has been in preparation for the intense Bull Run District competition that begins Saturday at home against Madison County.

Girls’ Basketball
Mustangs Hold Off Cougars 31-25;
Bump District Record to 3-0
By Rebecca Roa (October 4, 2002)
The Lady Mustangs bumped their Bull Run district record to 3-0 with their hard-fought 31-25 victory over the Manassas Park Cougars on Mason’s home court Tuesday night.

Varsity Football
Williams Leads Mustangs over Bulldogs
In 12-6 Homecoming Victory
By Chris Campanelli (October 1, 2002)
Matt Williams led the Mustangs to a 12-6 victory over Goochland in Mason’s Homecoming Game last Saturday.

Varsity Football
Mustangs Learn to Lose the Hard Way, 47-0
By Chris Campanelli (September 25, 2002)
The Mustangs proved little match for the Generals of Stonewall Jackson in last Saturday’s game, a 47-0 on the Mustangs’ home field, dropping the Mustangs record to 1-3.

Girls' Basketball
Mustangs Defense Holds Drifters to 13;
District Play Begins Tuesday
By Rebecca Roa (September 20, 2002)
"Last night’s win was a confidence booster after Monday’s loss," said girls' varsity basketball coach Chris Madison. 

Varsity Football
Mustangs Fall to State Champs, 29-10
By Chris Campanelli (September 18, 2002)
George Mason’s Mustang’s fell to the Bath County Chargers 29-10 last Saturday on their home field. Bath County, the defending State "A" champions, came into the game with a 38-2 record over the last four years.

Girls’ Basketball
Mustangs Beat Courtland Cougars 54-49;
Run Record to 3-2 in Early Going
By Rebecca Roa (September 14, 2002)
With a season high 23 points, Maggie O’Toole led the Lady Mustangs to a 54-49 victory over the Courtland Cougars on the ‘Stangs’ home floor last Wednesday night.