Moraga, Calif. – Two early tallies by the St. Mary's Gaels in the first 15 minutes proved to be the difference on Sunday, as they outlasted a late surge by the Fordham Rams, 2-1, at St. Mary's Stadium in Moraga, California.
With the loss, Fordham moves to 1-1 on the year, while St. Mary's improved to 1-1.
The Gaels took advantage of a fortunate bounce just 39 seconds into the game. A clearing attempt deflected off the referee, allowing the Gaels to gain possession. Valerie Laforge then sent a long ball toward the box, which Vanessa Gaitan chipped just over the reach of Fordham goalkeeper
Colleen Hickey for a 1-0 lead.
Gaitan then made it 2-0 in the 14
th minute, as she finished off a cross from Jaylen Crim to the top left corner of the goal.
In the second half, the Gaels almost made it a 3-0 game, as Jackie Dutton fired a shot to the top right corner, but Fordham's Kelly
Morgan Busacca
LaMorte came across the goal to punch away the shot, keeping it a two-goal deficit.
The score remained that way deep into the second half, when Fordham put together a late surge in the final minutes to pull within one. In the 86
th minute,
Lane Cronin fought off a defender near the endline, laying off a pass to
Morgan Busacca. Busacca put in an immediate cross into the box, which
Crea Baker-Durante headed just over the reach of St. Mary's goalkeeper Sarah Sawatsky for her first collegiate goal.
Fordham continued to press the attack in the final minutes, trying to get the equalizer, but the Rams ran out of time, giving the Gaels the 2-1 win.
In goal, Hickey made two saves in the first half for Fordham, while LaMorte had one in the second half. Sawatsky had three stops for St. Mary's.
The Fordham women's soccer team will next be in action on Friday, August 25
th, when the Rams play at Manhattan for the annual "Battle of the Bronx" at Gaelic Park, beginning at 4:00 PM.
