Men’s Soccer Begins Atlantic 10 Action on Saturday at George Mason

Bronx, N.Y. – After ending non-conference play with five consecutive wins, the Fordham men's soccer team looks to continue that momentum into conference play this weekend, when the Rams travel to George Mason for the Atlantic 10 opener for both schools.  The game is set for 7:00 PM on Saturday night.
 
In addition to trying to win the conference opener for the second time in three years, Fordham is in search of some rare territory on Saturday, as the Rams look for their sixth straight win.  Fordham has only had a win streak of six or more once in team history, when the Rams won 11 straight games in their inaugural season in 1952. 
 
GAME COVERAGE:
Saturday – George Mason at Fordham – 7:00 PM – Live Stats | Live Video (PPV)* | Follow on Twitter @FordhamSoccer
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SERIES HISTORY: This will be the fourth all-time meeting between Fordham and George Mason, with the Patriots winning the previous three meetings with the last two as members of the Atlantic 10.  In the most recent meetings, George Mason won 1-0 in 2014 in Fairfax, while taking a 5-1 decision at Jack Coffey Field in 2015.
 
NUHU NAMED CO-DEFENSIVE PLAYER OF THE WEEK (9/25): The Atlantic 10 Conference announced its weekly men's soccer awards today for games on Monday with Fordham junior goalkeeper Rashid Nuhu (Accra, Ghana) earning Co-Defensive Player of the Week honors for the second straight week.  He shares the honor with URI's Nils Leifhelm.  It is Nuhu's fifth career weekly honor. 
 
Nuhu registered back-to-back shutouts this past week against Manhattan and Bryant, bringing his season total to six, which is tied for fourth in the nation.  He improved to 6-2-1 on the season, making a pair of saves in each win, lowering his league-best goals against average to 0.54, which also ranks 18^th in the country.
 
RAMS AMONG NATIONAL LEADERS: As of September 29^th, the Rams are ranked in the top 25 nationally in shutout percentage (6^th), goals against average (10^th), and save percentage (20^th).
 
Individually, Janos Loebe and Rashid Nuhu ranked in the top 25 in three categories each.  Loebe is tied for first in the nation in game-winning goals with four, while being 19^th in total points (14) and 24^th in shots per game.  Nuhu  is tied for fifth in shutouts with six , while being 12^th in goals against average  (0.542) and 23^rd in save percentage.
 
LAST TIME OUT: Fordham's Janos Loebe netted the game's lone goal in the 71^st minute, while Rashid Nuhu made two saves in net, as the Rams shut out the Bryant Bulldogs, 1-0, on Alumni Day at Jack Coffey Field on Saturday afternoon.
 
The game was scoreless at the half thanks to a brilliant stop by both goalkeepers.  Fordham's Rashid Nuhu had his in the 30^th minute, as Jared Lee blasted a shot right into Nuhu's chest, which Nuhu was able to hold on to, while Bryant's Nick Stewart had his in the 38^th minute. Janos Loebe found Jannik Loebe running into the box behind the Bryant defense.  Jannik cut across to the right side and tried to sneak the ball past Stewart, but Stewart was able to get a hand on the shot and deflected it away.

 
In the second half, Fordham had three premium chances in the early minutes, as Janos hit the crossbar in the 48^th minute, while in the 60^th minute, he had back-to-back shots in tight, which were both stopped by Stewart.
 
Janos though did not miss in the 71^st minute, netting the only goal of the game.  Ross Willox played a ball from the top of the box to Connor DeFilippis, heading toward the end line.  DeFilippis crossed the ball back to Janos right in the center of the box for a shot into the top right corner for his fifth goal of the season.  That goal held up, as the Rams recorded their sixth shutout of the season with Nuhu making two saves in the win. 
 
WHO'S NEXT: Following Saturday's game, the Rams return home for back-to-back home games at Jack Coffey Field.  Fordham has an Atlantic 10 showdown with La Salle, on Wednesday, October 4^th, beginning at 7:00 PM, with a Saturday, October 7^th match-up against VCU at 7:00 PM.