Minutes after the clock had run out and George Mason's soccer team had rushed the field to celebrate, Omid Shokoufandeh still lay on the ground.
The rest of the Quakers were shaking hands with their opponents, but Shokoufandeh couldn't get up. The senior did not move from the opposing penalty box - where he had done so much damage this season - and allowed the reality of his final collegiate game to sink in.
"It sucks that we're not going to be able to play with each other anymore," Shokoufandeh said. "It's sad that we have to stop playing."
On a freezing night, the Quakers struggled to find a spark. The little offense they could muster came from their dozen seniors.
Midfielder Alex Grendi found himself open down the sidelines for much of the first half, always seemingly one touch away from setting up an easy goal.
When a handball in the box gave the Patriots a penalty kick, Drew Healy dove to his right to knock the ball away.
"I have always prided myself on penalties," Healy said.
"Throughout my career - I don't know what it is - I just study players' tendencies, how they line up, and it's confidence. As soon as he lined up, I knew I was going to make the save."
And as the clock ticked down, the seniors were the ones forcing the issue, generating a number of good looks but failing to get the equalizer.
It was Kevin Unger cutting through the middle to find himself alone with the goalkeeper before pushing his shot just wide.
And it was forward Andrew Ferry and Shokoufandeh applying the pressure, racking up a number of near-misses in the game's waning minutes.
The Class of 2009 departs as one of the greatest in the program's 103-year history. Its 35 wins over four years ranks among the top 10 at Penn, and Healy's 11 shutouts are both a Penn team and individual record.
Coach Rudy Fuller credited the large senior class with getting the younger players to buy into the team's mentality early. The Red and Blue went unbeaten in their first 10 games and lost only three games all season, none by more than a goal.
"Somebody once told me having a lot of seniors can be a blessing or a curse, and I don't think there's any question of which side this group fell on," Fuller said.
Next year's team may be losing nine starters, an all-Ivy goalie and its four top scorers, but it retains significant talent. Freshmen Christian Barreiro and Jake Levin started every game this year. Sophomores Loukas Tasigianis, Zach Barnett and Jason Gorskie have played important roles off the bench, while junior Lee Rubenstein proved crucial filling in for senior Ryan Porch at the end of the season.
But Fuller knows he can't teach attitude, and that will be the biggest hole for next year's squad to fill.
"The standards were set pretty high by these guys," he said, "and I think the guys behind them have a high bar to get over next year."
