Men's Soccer

[jkh1978]

How was the turnout at the basketball game? I was disappointed in the turnout and support over at the soccer game.

 

[Verdad]

Attendance for basketball has seemed to go down each game, especially with the students.

Official attendance (all weekday evening games):
UNCC: 3,207
SB: 2,906
CMU: 2,248

Attendance for soccer was going to be tough with the temps, I would have wanted to go with my son if there wasn't a basketball game, but wouldn't have been able to given how cold it was.

 

[Verdad]

Soccer is going to be squarely on the bubble:

RPI is now 40 with the quad 2 loss to SLU (RPI of 35), they were receiving votes in last poll (#28). Key resume points:
*Regular season champs of very solid conference (ranked 8th in RPI)
*Quad 1 win vs UMass (RPI of 22 and ranked #20), Quad 2 win vs UNCW (RPI of 76), Quad 2 draw v vcu (RPI of 61).
*Only bad loss is Quad 3 loss to ODU (RPI of 92), with other losses to RPI's of 24, 54 and 35

Question will be if our lack of quality wins will be good enough. Mason seems to have been a team that benefited from a very easy conference schedule, which may ultimately be a detriment - could have used a couple more conference games against top 50 teams to build a better resume.

Had 5 games against teams ranked in the top 61, and went 1-3-1.

The championship bracket will be revealed during a selection show at 1 p.m. ET on Monday, Nov. 18, streamed here on NCAA.com. Twenty-two teams earn automatic qualification, with the remaining 26 teams selected at large by the Division I Men’s Soccer Committee. The top 16 teams will be seeded and receive first-round byes with an opportunity to host quarterfinals.

 

[GMUgemini]

They aren’t as good as their record shows. Had they played the tougher teams in conference they probably lose them all.

 

[MasonSAE4]

They aren’t as good as their record shows. Had they played the tougher teams in conference they probably lose them all.

They looked awful last night

 

[GunstonsGhost]

Official attendance (all weekday evening games):
UNCC: 3,207
SB: 2,906
CMU: 2,248

Are these numbers recorded somewhere? Just curious how you're getting those numbers.

 

[GMUgemini]

Are these numbers recorded somewhere? Just curious how you're getting those numbers.

You can see attendance figures posted on the box scores on gomason

 

[GunstonsGhost]

You can see attendance figures posted on the box scores on gomason

Oh, cool. Thanks!

 

[Verdad]

Weak schedule/loss to SLU doomed us - 4 A10 teams made it but not us. What a let down, hopefully we get better OOC and conference records next year.

Kind of insane regular season champ of a 4 bid league doesn’t get in.

Dayton is #6 national seed, and UMass, Fordham and SLU all made it in. We were 1-1 against that field.

 

[jkh1978]

Weak schedule/loss to SLU doomed us - 4 A10 teams made it but not us. What a let down, hopefully we get better OOC and conference records next year.

Kind of insane regular season champ of a 4 bid league doesn’t get in.

Dayton is #6 national seed, and UMass, Fordham and SLU all made it in. We were 1-1 against that field.

Why have such large conferences? I wish everyone played everyone. Even if they were not better, to win most of the games assigned and lose by one in the semi finals on paper should not keep you out of next round.

 

[phoenix-arizona]

Looks like a-1o women's soccer just sent Saint Louis. Bummer about GMU men. Probably turn one of those top 61 Ls around and they rise above the bubble.

 

[Pablo]

James Eliuda: From South Sudan to Fairfax - George Mason University Athletics

By Micahi Oppong

gomason.com

"'I was just playing soccer, having fun, living with family … everything happened so fast.' James Eliuda knew nothing about America, let alone picking up all his things and leaving his hometown of Juba, South Sudan.

Eliuda lived with his mother and eight siblings and proved at an early age to be leaps and bounds ahead of his hometown's competition. Due to the lack of resources and facilities, most players in South Sudan are afforded fewer opportunities to grow and showcase their talents and skills and are forced to explore outside opportunities to play at a higher level. Eliuda is the exception to this rule.

Playing at Future Stars Academy and graduating from Juba Diocesan Secondary School in his hometown at just 15 years old, Eliuda was afforded the opportunity to represent and train with South Sudan in 15 & 17U competition.

After impressing the head coach, he and a few others were invited to train with the first division team, and he was soon training with a professional team in Kenya. After three months of valuable training on the next level and plans fell through that were supposed to take him to Dubai, Eliuda decided to make the drastic move to leave South Sudan and head to the United States to continue his soccer journey at DME Academy in Bradenton, Florida.

Although beyond grateful and excited for with the opportunity to play high level soccer in the U.S., Eliuda had to go through the hard adjustments of living in an entirely new environment, thousands of miles away from his family, while also being a student-athlete.

'Everything was different: the weather, first – in my country it is always hot … and I was tired, when I came here, … we used to write on blackboards back home, but when I went to DME, they gave me a computer, and it took me almost one month to learn.'

This is where George Mason head coach Rich Costanzo first got a glimpse of James on the pitch, and knew he was the right fit to bring to Fairfax to help turn around the Patriots' soccer program. 'You could see how much quality he had, but how much more potential he has to give, so I could tell he was a good player and has a good background," said Costanzo. "…everything I heard about the type of person he was, I knew he'd be someone we'd want to work with and someone who'd be receptive to becoming a better player.'

'No one talked to me about how I played and how they want me to play for their team, so when he said that to me, I was like 'this guy believes in me,' so if I go there, I'm going to play for you … I believe in myself even more that I'm a good player.'

With the fall semester already underway, and season closely approaching, Eliuda and the George Mason Patriots were ecstatic to begin a new season and usher in a new chapter for the soccer program – that is, until Eliuda was ruled ineligible by the NCAA for much of the season after already having a year of eligibility stripped due to his two-year absence from traditional schooling between graduating secondary school in South Sudan and attending DME Academy. "We had to do waivers and petitions …. and he is still entering college at 18 like everyone else … it took all year," said Costanzo. "He has a strong faith, … Every time I'd ask him [how he was doing] he'd say to just trust in God, and we're going to get there."

After a hard-fought battle with the NCAA, Eliuda was not only permitted to play the remaining five games of the season but also granted all four years of eligibility instead of the three he originally came to Fairfax with.

'We cried when we got approved together … it was a real blessing, for him, for us, for everything,' said Costanzo.

After the trials and tribulations of leaving his home in South Sudan to find better opportunities and adjusting to a new life and culture in Florida at DME and in Fairfax, his hard work had finally paid off, and the time had come for Eliuda to showcase his skills in front of the George Mason faithful.

'I couldn't sleep, not at all, I'm just so excited, I wanted tomorrow to come … I was waiting for the day … putting on the warmup, I was so happy … I just want to go in,' James remembers.

After months of preparation in practice and eagerly waiting on the sideline for his chance to check in, his time finally came in October 2023, against Dayton. Since coming off the bench in the middle of the first half, James has started every game since - with Costanzo humorously stating that Eliuda "hasn't left the field since his debut."

He scored his very first goal for the Green and Gold in the next game against Radford, which the Patriots won 7-0.

This past season, Eliuda has solidified himself as an integral piece to the best season the Mason soccer program has had since joining the A-10 conference, He scored two goals and tied for second on the club in assists with five, helping the Patriots win their first-ever A-10 regular season championship with 13 wins. James was also named Second Team All-Conference for the midfield position.

'I never thought of the personal accolades,' said Eliuda. 'Our goal was A-10 championship and NCAA tournament our goal is to win'.

While Eliuda is a proven and dedicated athlete, he is a student first and foremost, and his phenomenal academic track record can be traced all the way back to his formative years in South Sudan. Even with the difficulties of maintaining a busy schedule as a student-athlete, Eliuda continues to excel academically, receiving the 2023-2024 A-10 Commissioner Honor Roll distinction for his superb academic performance in his first year in Fairfax. He plans to graduate with a degree in Sport Management and the sky is the limit for Eliuda's future endeavors.

Outside of class and on the pitch, Eliuda can almost always be found at the George Mason Field House working out, getting treatment, and being a social butterfly with other student-athletes and faculty personnel at the facility.

'The first thing you notice when you speak to James is his smile, he's always talking and smiling,' said George Mason basketball player Chase Tucker.

"I talked to counselors, principals, coaches, – everyone said he's a great player, but they couldn't talk better about him as a person," said Coach Costanzo.

Although George Mason has embraced James as one of their own, James's heart will always be with his mother and family in Sudan, who he hasn't seen since he came to America.

'It's so hard because the time difference … I'm sleeping when they're waking up … I just tell them if we don't talk, I'm doing fine, and I will send a message and check on them.'

Despite this, Costanzo and the George Mason faculty have helped Elidua navigate life in Fairfax during at his lowest point and feel at home in place of his loved ones back home.

'There's a lot I can say about [Costanzo] … not playing all last season, that was the toughest moment, and I give credit to him the most … he's taken [me in] like a son.'

"We use the term Kaizen – we try to get better a little bit every day, one percent every day … and he embodies that," said Costanzo. "At his core he's a winner, whatever he does he's going to be great … certain guys have it and certain guys don't, and he has it."

Eliuda's ambition and drive to win at any cost is precisely what the George Mason soccer program needed, and the decision to bring him to Fairfax has proved instrumental to the program's success this season. Although it is a trait that he naturally possesses from his upbringing in Sudan, the daily competitive practices with his teammates along with the calculated training and treatment he undergoes daily comes from his true love he has for soccer, and it represents George Mason Athletics in every way possible.

Eliuda's journey from Sudan has taken him to many different countries, yet his faith and perseverance through all obstacles along with his good character and ethics has brought him here to Fairfax, and we are proud to call him a Patriot."