THE VIRGINIAN-PILOT 
              Copyright (c) 1994, Landmark Communications, Inc.

DATE: Sunday, October 9, 1994                TAG: 9410090203
SECTION: SPORTS                   PAGE: C14  EDITION: FINAL 
SOURCE: BY JULIE GOODRICH, STAFF WRITER 
DATELINE:    AGAINST RICHMOND EARLIER IN THE WEEK, OLD DOMINION'S MEN'S SOCCERLE

                      G. MASON KNOCKS OFF FLAT ODU, 2-1

   Old Dominion came out cold Saturday against conference foe George Mason and
didn't score until the end of the game. Unfortunately, it was too little too 
late.
   Mike Moyler's goal with 2:02 left in the second overtime only brought the 
Monarchs within one, and George Mason went home with a 2-1 win before a crowd 
of 1,284 at the Old Dominion Soccer Stadium.
   The pattern of starting a game sluggishly ``worries me and concerns me,'' 
said Perez. ``It's something we addressed both before the game and at 
halftime.
   ``We have only ourselves to blame.''
   Neither team mounted much of an offensive attack in the first half, 
although the Monarchs (5-4-1, 2-1 in the CAA) had a goal disallowed because 
the referee ruled a player hit the ball in with his hand. Old Dominion took 
only four shots in the period, George Mason two.
   In the second half, a defensive lapse nearly cost the Monarchs the game. 
Robbie Reynolds lost the ball 20 yards in front of his own goal, and Patriot 
forwards John Ferrandino and Moussa Kone snagged it and charged forward. 
Ferrandino took control and rushed in alone on keeper Michael Rodriguez, only 
to have the ball knocked out of bounds on a sliding tackle by Tom Manning.
   A few minutes later, Old Dominion's Gene Bowman had a rocket shot from 
about 30 yards out bang off the left goal post.
   George Mason (4-6-1, 2-1) took the lead at 9:22 of the first overtime 
period. Marcello Gasparini came charging down the right side and took a pass 
from midfield. He dribbled in and centered the ball, which hit off a few feet 
and came back out to the top of the box.
   Craig Melton was in the right place at the right time and drilled a shot 
past Rodriguez into the left corner to give the Patriots a 1-0 lead. 
   Chris Koehler scored on a rebound of his own shot at 5:02 of the second 
overtime to put George Mason up 2-0.
   Moyler responded with his goal exactly two minutes later.
   ``We need to be a more mentally prepared group,'' said Perez, whose 
Monarchs failed to convert on 16 corner kicks. ``But I'll be the first to 
accept fault for this. Maybe I'm not getting the message across to them that 
these teams (in the CAA) can play.''
   Old Dominion hosts the Naval Academy in a non-conference game Wednesday at 
7:30 p.m.