Bronx, N.Y. (Oct. 12, 2008) - Almost five years to the day that the Fordham men's soccer team upset a nationally ranked Dayton Flyers team on Edwards' Parade, Fordham's
Sam Acheampong recorded his first goal of the season to lead the Rams to 1-0 upset victory over the ninth-ranked Saint Louis Billikens on Jack Coffey Field on Sunday.
It was the first win for Fordham over a ranked opponent since August 27, 2006, when Fordham defeated #9 South Florida, 2-1, in Tampa, Florida.
"The players deserved this, after playing so well on Friday and not getting a result," said head coach
Jim McElderry. "Today, we had a good goal, defended well, and created some chances."
Fordham scored the only goal of the contest in the 29th minute of the first half.
Tim Richardson crossed the ball into the right side of the box to
Sam Acheampong, who missed on the one-timer, but recoiled and drove a 10-yard shot into the lower left corner of the net. It was the first goal of the season for the senior midfielder.
The Rams almost made it 2-0 in the 42nd minute, where the ball was cleared across the front of the Saint Louis net to Acheampong for a shot, but Saint Louis defender Tim Ream slid across the net and kicked the ball off the line for a defender save.
Fordham fought off numerous chances by Saint Louis, as the Billikens had eight corner kicks in the contest. Saint Louis' best chance came in the 51st minute, as Fordham's
Ryan Meara made a save on Brandon Barklage with the rebound coming out to Scott Wisniewski. Wisniewski's rebound shot then hit the left post and bounced out of play.
With time winding down to the final minute of regulation, Saint Louis again thought they had tied the game, as Kyle Hayes knocked in a cross into the net, but the Billikens were called for offsides, which disallowed the goal. The Rams were able kill to final 56 seconds, giving Fordham their third win over a ranked opponent in the last six seasons.
In net, Fordham's
Ryan Meara made six saves for his fourth shutout of the season, while Pat Disbennett made four saves for the Billikens.
The Fordham men's soccer team will next be in action on Friday, October 17th, as they play at La Salle, beginning at 7:00 PM.
