Nov. 9, 2008
Box Score
Philadelphia, Pa. -
Similar to the past two seasons, the Fordham men's soccer team went into their final Atlantic 10 game, needing a win and some help to reach next week's Atlantic 10 Championship tournament. The Rams responded with their best offensive output of the season, shutting out the Saint Joseph's Hawks, 4-0, at Finnesey Field in Philadelphia, Pa. The Rams also got the help they needed, as Fordham will play in this year's Atlantic 10 Championship.
With the win, Fordham ends the regular season at 9-7-2 overall, 5-3-1 in the Atlantic 10, while Saint Joseph's ends their year at 5-8-2 overall, 2-6-1 in the league.
Besides the win, Fordham needed Charlotte, Rhode Island or George Washington to lose in their finale, which all three did, leaving Fordham as the fifth seed in next week's Atlantic 10 Championship.
Fordham put together a stellar offensive effort against Hawks, totaling 27 shots on the afternoon, compared to six by the Hawks.
Fordham got on the board in the 16th minute, as off a Brett Heyder corner kick, John Pardini got the ball to Aaron Markowitz, who headed home his fourth goal of the season.
The score stayed at 1-0 until the second half, where Fordham netted their second tally of the day in the 58th minute. Markowitz crossed the ball to Matt Courtenay, who scored to the lower left corner for his team-leading fifth goal of the season.
The Rams made it a 3-0 game in the 70th minute, as Heyder scored his third goal of the season. After an early ball pass from Mike McTigue, Heyder volleyed the ball into the top left corner for a three-goal advantage.
Fordham capped the scoring in the 88th minute, as D.J. Corrao scored on a breakaway shot to the lower right corner of the net for his first collegiate goal.
In net, Ryan Meara made three saves for his eighth shutout of the season, which ties for the second most in a single season at Fordham, while also setting a new freshman mark. For Saint Joseph's, Bryan Benedict made nine saves in 72 minutes of play, while Joe Bodnar made one save in 18 minutes.
The Fordham men's soccer team will now play in the 2008 Atlantic 10 Championship on Thursday, November 13th, as the fifth seed against fourth-seeded Saint Louis at Duquesne's Rooney Field in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, beginning at 8:30 PM.
