Box Score Nov. 8, 2009
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Bronx, N.Y. -
Fordham sophomore defender Andreas Pafitis picked a perfect time to score his first two career goals, as the Rams sent off their senior class with a 2-0 win over the La Salle Explorers on Senior Day at Jack Coffey Field.
With the win, Fordham ends the regular season at 9-6-3 overall, 6-1-2 in the Atlantic 10, while La Salle closes out their campaign with a 6-10-3 mark, 2-5-2 in conference play. The win secured Fordham the third seed at next week's Atlantic 10 Championship in Kingston, Rhode Island.
Fordham opened the game with the first seven shots of the contest and scored the first goal of the game in the 25th minute. Fordham's John Niyonsaba put a cross into the box from the left sideline, that found Phil Ferrantello. Ferrantello was able to head ball off the cross to Andreas Pafitis, who headed the ball in for his first collegiate goal.
La Salle tried to quickly tie the game in the 28th minute, as the Rams committed a foul in the box, giving La Salle a penalty kick. La Salle's Nick Dundon lined up the kick to the left side of the goal, but Ryan Meara deflected it away, keeping Fordham ahead 1-0.
The score stayed that way until the 51st minute, where the defender combination of Ferrantello and Pafitis connected again. This time, Brett Heyder made the cross from the left side for Fordham to Ferrantello. Just like earlier in the game, Ferrantello headed the ball back to Pafitis, who deflected the ball in for his second goal of the afternoon.
The Rams kept the sheet clean the rest of the way, as Meara and Jon Bratincevic combined for the shutout. Meara made three stops in 81 minutes of action, including the crucial penalty kick stop, while Bratincevic played the final nine minutes.
The Rams will now travel to Kingston, Rhode Island, for the Atlantic 10 Men's Soccer Championship, November 12th-15th. Third-seeded Fordham will take on sixth-seeded St. Bonaventure in the opening game on Thursday, November 12th, beginning at 5:00 PM.
