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Mitchell Richtmyre/Fourth Estate

BY CHRISTIAN SEGOVIA, ASSISTANT SPORTS EDITOR

On Nov. 13, Mason men’s soccer season came to an end in the Atlantic 10 semifinals with a 2-1 defeat against Saint Louis. The Patriots’ season officially ended on Nov. 18, when they were not included in the NCAA Tournament field.

In the first half, Mason and Saint Louis were balanced. During Mason’s possessions, Saint Louis applied pressure on the ball causing Mason to turn the ball over. 

In the 32nd minute, Saint Louis midfielder Drake Fournier found forward Matthew Wrobel inside the box. Wrobel kicked the ball into the bottom right corner to go up 1-0.

In the 41st minute, Saint Louis forward Luis Lara took a free kick from the left side of the field, finding Max Floriani inside the box. Floriani used his head to hit the ball into the upper left corner, putting the Billikens up 2-0.

In the second half, Mason came out more aggressive. Mason passed the ball from the left side of the field, to the middle and the right side of the field, trying to find any chance to score. 

In the 65th minute, Mason midfielder Henry Wachsman, on the right side of the field, crossed the ball inside the box to find Mason forward Marek Gonda. Gonda hit the ball with his head, putting the ball into the corner. The referee called the goal off due to a foul.

In the 70th minute, a penalty was given to Mason as Wachsman got fouled inside the box. Mason defender Javi Sanchez took the penalty and kicked the ball to the bottom left corner, making the score 2-1. This would be the last goal of the game.

Mason took 15 shots with six on target. Saint Louis took four shots with two on target. Mason was called offsides three times, while Saint Louis was called off once. 

Mason dominated the game in possession, with 66%. The Patriots failed to capitalize on their domination and possession, allowing the Billikens to secure a berth in the A-10 championship.

Despite the loss, George Mason Stadium had an intense atmosphere throughout the game. The Patriots won 13 games throughout the season with head coach Rich Costanzo winning Coach of the Year in the A-10.

Saint Louis went on to lose to Dayton in the final round of the A-10 tournament.

Austin Diaz/Fourth Estate

BY AUSTIN DIAZ, STAFF WRITER

For many years, Mason has remained a campus full of life. There’s the hustle and bustle of people going to and from campus along with others spending their time out in the green areas that Mason provides. In fact, the university plays a leading role in addressing sustainability challenges; however, I believe that the influx of more students leads to more pollution on campus.   

When looking at the campus from my freshman year of 2022, I don’t recall this much pollution on campus. There were relatively full trash cans with little trash surrounding them around campus. I could say that there was no problem with pollution and littering in my first two years at Mason. But things have changed during this semester.   

At the start of the school year, I noticed there seemed to be more litter on the ground as I was walking around campus. But as the semester continued, I realized that this might be a greater issue than I first thought. 

My walks to class are filled with litter. Pollution seems to be intertwined with the campus as the days continue. But how does this relate to the influx of people on campus?   

The pollution issue may have a correlation with the recent class of 2028 being the biggest in Mason’s history. The increase of the on-campus population also increases the use of resources at Mason, potentially causing more students to leave empty wrappers or bottles on the ground as they rush to their next class.

What used to be less busy shops and restaurants around campus are now jam-packed throughout the day with long lines, which in turn means more people getting these food options as a way to eat during the day. More people buying food doesn’t necessarily mean that everyone causes the pollution on campus. But the more people buying food leads to more food in the garbage, showing how more pollution on our campus can arise. The more students on campus daily can make pollution stack up quickly.

Austin Diaz/Fourth Estate

This issue of pollution can be combated and stopped by the university in multiple ways. One way could be by increasing employees with the increase of students. Or the university could offer community service hours to Mason and local high school students to pick up the litter and make areas cleaner. 

Mason could also add a certain cap on the number of students the university accepts each year. These options would allow for a cleaner environment for both the students and the wildlife that we share this university with.  

So when you are walking to class, to your car or even to one of the many restaurants on campus and notice that the trash cans are overflowing or trash is on the ground, think about picking it up so that everyone can experience Mason’s campus and its beauty.