1985 NATIONAL CHAMPIONS TWENTY-FIVE YEARS AGO THIS FALL, SOMETHING HISTORIC HAPPENED IN FAIRFAX. A
GROUP OF 23 WOMEN FROM SEVEN DIFFERENT STATES CAME TOGETHER TO ACHIEVE AN EXTRAORDINARY GOAL. JUST FOUR YEARS AFTER HAVING PLAYED ITS FIRST-EVER VARSITY MATCH, THE GEORGE MASON WOMEN'S SOCCER TEAM CLAIMED THE SCHOOL'S FIRST NATIONAL CHAMPIONSHIP.
A year earlier, George Mason had won the right to host the NCAA Final Four in women's soccer, hoping that the Patriots would be one of those elite teams. When the Final Four began in late November, Mason found itself still alive after a 3-2 win on penalty kicks over William & Mary in the opening round and a 1-0 win over Cortland in the quarterfinals.
A NATIONAL CHAMPIONSHIP COMES TO FAIRFAX
Mason was, at best, an underdog heading into the Final Four. While the Patriots had defeated Colorado College in the regular season, the other two teams at the championship had weighty credentials. There was North Carolina, which had tied Mason 3-3 in the season opener and was the most respected program in the nation. The Tar Heels had won all three previous national championships. UMass, meanwhile, was 16-0, had allowed just two goals all season while outscoring the opposition 68-2, and had downed UNC 2-0 earlier in the year.
2011 PA TRIO TS WOMEN'S SOCCER • PAGE 2
