Davidson, N.C. - Following back-to-back 4-0 wins, the Fordham men's soccer team is back in the Atlantic 10 Championship title game for the second time in the last three years, and third overall.
Fordham is 2-0 in Atlantic 10 Championship games, defeating Rhode Island for the title in both occasions in 1996 and 2014. 11 players remain on the Fordham Rams from that 2014 title, including
Jannik Loebe, Chris Bazzini and Matt Lewis, who were all selected to the All-Championship team with Loebe scoring the game-winning goal in that game.
VCU (8-9-3), which made the final in 2015 as well, got into the championship game as the #5 seed, knocking off UMass on day one, 2-1, in overtime, and then Dayton on day two with a 1-0 victory.
The championship game will be televised nationally by the American Sports Network. That game will be seen locally in the New York area on SportsNet NY (SNY).
GAME COVERAGE:
Sunday – VCU vs. Fordham – 12:00 PM (American Sports Network - SNY) |
Live Stats |
Live Video |
Follow on Twitter @FordhamSoccer
SERIES HISTORY: This is the sixth meeting Fordham and VCU since 2012, when VCU joined the Atlantic 10. VCU holds a 2-0-3 record versus Fordham, which includes VCU defeating Fordham, 1-0, in last year's Atlantic 10 Championship semifinal. Prior to that, the two squads played to a 0-0 draw in the 2014 Atlantic 10 Championship quarterfinals, where Fordham advanced on penalty kicks, 5-3.
RAMS REGIONALLY RANKED BY NSCAA (11/8): For the first time this season, the Fordham Rams have cracked the top ten in the NSCAA Midwest Regional Rankings on November 8th. The Midwest region is comprised of teams from the BIG TEN, Colonial, and Atlantic 10.
Maryland, who is still unbeaten this season at 15-0-2, is the top ranked team, followed by Indiana (10-1-6), Michigan State (12-4-1), Wisconsin (10-3-3), Hofstra (9-7-1), William & Mary (11-6-2), Delaware (10-7-1), Duquesne (8-4-5), UNCW (8-6-3), and Fordham (8-6-3).
A-10 ANNOUNCES ALL-CONFERENCE HONORS (11/9): Just a day before the start of the Atlantic 10 Championship, the conference released its All-Conference men's soccer teams and major award winners, as voted upon by the league's coaches. Six Rams heard their names called in the release, led by sophomore forward
Janos Loebe, who was named the league's Offensive Player of the Year and First Team All-Atlantic 10.
In addition to Janos, junior midfielder
Jannik Loebe was also named First Team All-Atlantic 10 with junior defender
Matthew Lewis and sophomore goalkeeper
Rashid Nuhu being named Second Team All-Atlantic 10. Freshman defender
Joergen Oland was among those listed on the conference's All-Rookie Team and junior midfielder
Eric Ohlendorf was voted to the Atlantic 10 All-Academic Team, as voted upon by the conference's sports information directors.
The six players honored are the most for Fordham, since 2011, when seven players were selected to the All-Conference teams.
Janos Loebe, who was Atlantic 10 Rookie of the Year last season, joins Fordham alum John Wolyniec as the only Rams to be named Offensive Player of the Year in the Atlantic 10. (Note: Wolyniec was named Player of the Year in 1998, as the league separated the award into offensive and defensive awards in 2000.)
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LAST TIME OUT (11/11): Behind another big second half flurry, the Fordham men's soccer team advanced to the Atlantic 10 Championship game with a 4-0 win over the Rhode Island Rams at Alumni Soccer Stadium in Davidson, North Carolina.
With the win, Fordham improved its record to 10-6-3 on the season, while Rhode Island ended its season at 8-10-1. The Rams now advance to their third Atlantic 10 title game overall and second in the last three years, while also reaching double figures in wins for the first time since 2011.
Fordham struck early in the first half to get on the scoreboard in the 16
th minute.
Christopher Bazzini got the play started, chipping the ball toward the six-yard box from the right side. The ball was knocked down by a Rhode Island defender and mishandled, allowing
Ole Sandnes to fire the loose ball into the net from six yards out for his first goal of the season.
Cole Stevenson
The game stayed at 1-0 into the second half, despite a multitude of yellow cards, which were handed out over the first 65 minutes of action. The game then turned on Rhode Island, when Dante Lamb was red carded in the 66
th minute, forcing URI to play down a man, trailing by one.
Fordham took advantage of the short-handed situation, extending the lead to 2-0 in the 74
th minute.
Cole Stevenson took the ball up the right side of the box, crossing the ball to
Eric Ohlendorf near the left post. Ohlendorf knocked the ball back in front of the goal, where
Jannik Loebe knocked it in for his sixth goal of the season.
Sandnes struck again for Fordham in the 84
th minute to bring the lead to 3-0. Stevenson was sent a long run up the right side of the box, and cut across the top of the box. He left a back heel pass to Sandnes, who ripped a shot from 18 yards to the lower left corner for his second goal of the game.
Sandnes then went for the hat trick in the 85
th minute, but was brought down in the box for a penalty kick, with the Rhode Island defender receiving a red card on the play. Loebe would take the penalty kick for Fordham, and converted for his second goal of the game and seventh of the year.
The offensive barrage was enough was the Fordham defense for the second straight night, as goalkeeper
Rashid Nuhu made three saves for the clean sheet, his sixth of the season.
