What a week.
Jenn Gross started it with the game winning goal and an assist against Colonial Athletic Association power James Madison in George Mason's 3-1 victory in Fairfax on Wednesday. As if that weren't enough, the senior from Centreville, VA, turned in another game winner and a hat trick (her second of the season, sixth for her career) in a 6-1 pounding of CAA rival Old Dominion in her final regular season home contest on Sunday. Her efforts helped raise the Patriots record to 9-2-4 overall, 5-0 in the CAA.
For her performances, Gross was named the CAA Player of the Week and nominated for national Team of the Week honors as compiled by Soccer America magazine. She also positioned herself to become the school's all-time leader in career goals, points and game winners. She has four regular season road contests and a number of post season games in which to break them.
As dangerous as she has been at scoring, Gross also ranks fifth on the George Mason career list for assists with a total of 17. She currently leads the team in scoring on the year with 11 goals and four assists for 26 points.
All totalled, Gross has 62 career goals, 141 points, and 17 game winners. That leaves her just two behind Lisa Gmitter's school record in goals, five behind her in points, and two behind her in game winners on the all-time list.
"Jenn is just having another Jenn Gross kind of year," said head coach Jac Cicala. "She is just a tremendous finisher and is one of the big reason's why we are 5-0 in the conference and ranked in the top 20 in the nation right now."
A fifth-year senior, Gross has returned to her form of her freshmen and sophomore years before she was slowed then finally stopped by a bad back. She missed the majority of her third season after an operation, and slowly returned to form in her fourth campaign. She now is back to full strength and that spells danger for opposing defenses. She currently ranks sixth in the conference in scoring and is tied for fourth in goals.
Gross will attempt to tie or break the school goal and points records on Wednesday when the Patriots travel to Richmond for a 4 p.m. game against VCU.