Aug. 15, 2008 

FAIRFAX, Va. - George Mason men's soccer head coach Greg Andrulis announced the Patriots' 2008 schedule today. After playing a pair of exhibition matches, Mason will open the season with seven nonconference matches before beginning Colonial Athletic Association play on Sept. 27.

After playing a preseason schedule featuring Virginia Tech and Georgetown, George Mason will play in a pair of tournaments to start the season. The Patriots will play at the D.C. College Cup in Washington, D.C. on Aug. 29-31 and the SMU Mi Cocina Classic in Dallas, Texas on Sept. 12-13. Sandwiched between those two tournaments is a showdown with in-state rival Virginia at George Mason Stadium on Sept. 5. The Cavaliers finished last season with a 12-8-2 overall record, advancing to the second round of the NCAA Tournament.

After traveling to Dallas, Texas for the SMU Mi Cocina Classic, Mason finishes its September schedule with three consecutive home matches, including the Colonial Athletic Association opener against Virginia Commonwealth on Sept. 27. The CAA schedule continues through early November and the Patriots close out the regular season with a match against Old Dominion in Norfolk, Va. on Nov. 7.

The CAA Championship Tournament will include the top six teams in the standings at the conclusion of the regular season schedule. The third and fourth seeds will host quarterfinal matches on Nov. 11. The winners of those two matches will advance to the CAA Championship Semifinals, held on Nov. 14 at the home of the top seed. The Championship Match is slated for Nov. 16. The winner of the CAA Championship Tournament will receive the conference's automatic bid to the NCAA Tournament, with first round matches scheduled to begin on Nov. 21-22.

The Patriots were picked to finish eighth in the 2008 CAA Men's Soccer Preseason Coaches Poll. Old Dominion was picked to win the conference title, with VCU second and Drexel third. The Monarchs are riding a streak of six straight appearances in the NCAA Tournament and have advanced to the round of 16 the past two seasons. Rounding out the poll were Hofstra, Towson, James Madison, William and Mary, George Mason, Northeastern, UNC Wilmington, Delaware and Georgia State.