April 29, 2007
After an extremely bright fall season where a number of firsts were accomplished, the Fordham men's soccer continued their development into one of the top teams in the tri-state area this spring.
Fordham posted a 4-1-1 mark during spring play, scoring 10 goals, while having three shutouts and allowing only four goals total.
"The spring has been very productive for us this year. We have improved individually and as a team," said Head Coach Jim McElderry. "Some players who did not play much in the fall have been given a lot of playing time this spring and they have taken full advantage of the opportunities."
The Rams started the spring slowly with a 2-0 loss to Fairfield on March 24th, but that would be the lone loss of the spring.
Fordham rebounded with a 3-0 win over Long Island University on March 30th, with goalkeeper Doug Devereaux posting the shutout. Abe Chehebar had a pair of assists in the game, while John Pardini, Chris Paolino, and Marco Marchitelli each scored a goal.
The Rams then picked up a win and a tie on April 14th over at Columbia University. The day started with a 1-0 win over Columbia, as Pardini scored the lone goal with Chehebar, picking up his third assist of the spring, while Devereaux posted the 60-minute shutout. In their second game of the day, Fordham tied Mercer Community College, 1-1, as Einar Oddsson netted the lone Fordham goal with the assist going to Pardini. In net, Justin Burse made his return to the Fordham net, allowing one goal in 60 minutes, after suffering a broken leg in the Rams' fall opener at South Florida.
Fordham wrapped up the spring with two more wins against St. Francis (NY) on April 20th and Adelphi on April 28th. The Rams defeated the Terriers, 2-0, as Pardini had a goal and an assist, while Peter Kasyanenko had the other tally.
Against Adelphi, Kevin Meyer scored twice, while Grant Kerr had a pair of assists, as Fordham went on to a 3-1 win. Pardini netted his fourth goal of the spring in this game, with Steve Franchini and Pat Murray each recording an assist in the contest.
"We started off slowly with our loss to Fairfield, but since then have improved daily and it has shown in our results. I am looking forward to the fall as the players have shown me they have the ability to compete at a very high level," said McElderry.
Overall, Pardini led the scoring with four goals and two assists, while Chehebar was the team's leader in assists with four. In net, Devereaux allowed just three goals in 330 minutes of action, while Burse gave up only one goal in 150 minutes.
The Fordham men's soccer team now looks forward to the fall, where Fordham will open their 2007 regular season at home on Friday, August 31st, when they host Marist College at 7:00 PM on Jack Coffey Field.
