Boys’ Soccer

Mustangs Defeat West Point 5-0;
Head to Radford for States

By Rachel Sweeney (June 9, 2005)

Thanks to a 5-0 win Tuesday night against West Point High School, the boys’ varsity soccer team will now advance to the state semifinals to be played this Friday at Radford University. This marks the third visit for the boys in four years and a chance to win a third State title in as many.

The first goal, cleverly slipped behind the keeper by Nils Ek, was put in within 27 seconds of the kickoff. This began a chain of goals from Kris McMahon and Mike Chaves to end the first half at 3-0. In the second half, the fourth goal was scored off a corner kick that deflected off the West Point keeper into his own goal. And lastly, Ek sealed the win with his second goal, a chip right over the keeper’s head at the 18-yard line and into the goal. Outstanding efforts were turned in by senior captain Paul Arnaudo (the team sweeper) who dominated the Mustangs’ back third and with the help of junior Gregg Curtin broke up every attack made by West Point. In the midfield, senior captain Ariel Toom had many attempts but was unable to get any past the West Point goalie. And up top, junior Kris McMahon capitalized the attacking third of the field, putting in the second goal of the game. Towards the end of the second half, Mason’s coaches decided to give their all star goalie, Josiah Larson (who had seven saves and concluded his eleventh), some time on the field in his last home game, replacing him with sophomore Eric Casteuble to finish the match in the goal.

Striker Nils-Petter Ek lines up for a shot on goal against West Point’s goalie. Mason won the  game 5-0 and is heading to the state semifinal  game tomorrow at Radford. (Photo by Rachel Sweeney)

Before this game, the boys were 8-2-1 in the season and 7-0-1 in the district. They won the Bull Run District season but lost the District Championship to Clarke County. However, they were able to regain their title as they won the Region Championship at Clarke 2-0. In that game, it was 1-0 since the first minute of the game thanks to McMahon, until the last few minutes when Toom headed in a flick by Ek to confirm the win.

Toom has made a great impact on the legacy of Mason boys’ soccer. Not only has he controlled the center midfield and offense since his freshman year, he has recently broken the record for most minutes played in a game, most games played, and most games won in Mason history. This goes without saying that he was a part of two and soon to be three trips to Radford, playing a major role in winning two state championships.

Now, along with the girls, the Mustangs will leave George Mason on Thursday to head down to Radford. There they will play in the semifinals on Friday, and should they win they will advance to the State Championship game on Saturday where “The Strive for Five” may soon become a reality.