Women’s Soccer Opens Home Schedule With Seton Hall & Holy Cross This Week

Bronx, N.Y. - After a 2-1 start in three road games, the Fordham women's soccer team will host their first two home games this week at Jack Coffey Field.  First, the Rams host Seton Hall on Thursday night for a 7:00 PM kickoff, while taking on Holy Cross on Sunday for a 1:00 PM matinee.
 
GAME COVERAGE:
Friday – Seton Hall at Fordham – 7:00 PM – Live Video | Live Stats | Follow on Twitter @FordhamWSoccer
 
Sunday – Holy Cross at Fordham – 1:00 PM – Live Video | Live Stats | Follow on Twitter @FordhamWSoccer
 
SERIES HISTORY: This will be the 10^th meeting between Fordham and Seton Hall with the Rams holding a slight 5-4 in the previous nine meetings.  The two squads met last season with Fordham pulling out a 2-0 win at Seton Hall on September 1^st on goals from Sydney White and Brooke Salmon.
 
For Holy Cross, it will be 23 years to the day since the last meeting between the two Jesuit institutions, when both schools were members of the Patriot League.  Holy Cross has won the only two meetings in 1993 and 1994 by identical 1-0 scores.
 
LAST TIME OUT: With 28 total shots and seven corner kicks between Fordham and Manhattan, one would have thought the 25^th edition of the Battle of the Bronx was a high scoring affair.  That however was not the case as only a single goal by Crea Baker-Durante was scored in a 1-0 win for the Fordham Rams at Gaelic Park.  The Rams improved to 16-8-1 all-time against Manhattan.

 
Fordham controlled most of the early action, picking up the only goal of the game in the 14^th minute.  Manhattan attempted a clearance, but the ball went right to Crea Baker-Durante, who one-timed a shot from 16 yards into the net for her second goal of the season.
 
That was the lone goal of the contest, as the Rams' defense pitched its second shutout win of the season.
 
Though the Jaspers had 15 shots, only three were on frame, all of which came in the second half against Fordham goalkeeper Kelly LaMorte.  She made all three stops, as she and Colleen Hickey combined for the shutout in net.

SEASON OPENERS: With the team's season opening win over Nevada, Fordham continued its mixed bag of results in season openers, posting a 11-12-2 mark.  It was Fordham's first opening victory since a 2015 match over Wagner, 1-0.
 
BAKER-DURANTE NAMED ATLANTIC 10 ROOKIE OF THE WEEK (8/28): The Atlantic 10 Conference announced its women's soccer weekly awards, and among this week's award winners was Fordham freshman Crea Baker-Durante (Needham, Mass./Needham), who was selected as Atlantic 10 Rookie of the Week.  This is Baker-Durante's first career award.
 
Baker-Durante scored the game-winning goal for a 1-0 win on Friday in the 25^th edition of the Battle of the Bronx between Fordham and Manhattan.  In the 14^th minute, a failed clearance by Manhattan found Baker-Durante 16 yards from goal. She one-timed a shot into the back of the net for her second goal of the season.

Through three games this season, Baker-Durante is the Rams' leading scorer with two goals and an assist for five points.  

WHO'S NEXT: Following this weekend's home games, the Fordham women's soccer team will be back on the road on Friday, September 8^th, when the Rams travel to Hofstra for a 7:00 PM start, before returning home on Sunday, September 10^th for a home contest against UConn, beginning at 1:00 PM.