Box Score Oct. 29, 2010
Box Score
Amherst, Mass. -
With one weekend of play remaining after this weekend, the Fordham University men's soccer team knows that it needs to get every point possible to boost its hopes of qualifying for the 2010 Atlantic 10 Championship. And today it took a big step forward, handing Massachusetts its first conference loss of the year, 1-0, on Rudd Field and moving to within a point of the Minutemen in the conference standings.
With the win, Fordham improves to 9-6 overall, 4-2 in the Atlantic 10, while Massachusetts falls to 5-4-6 overall, 4-1-1 in the conference.
The game was evenly played, with each side attempting ten shots and each keeper making two saves. But the difference came midway through the second half when John Niyonsaba picked up a loose ball off a deflected John McHugh shot and he buried it into an open net for his first goal of the year.
Following the goal, both defenses got tight with neither team able to mount much of an attack until the final three minutes when Massachusetts' Ben Arikian got off a shot that was high and then, a minute later, Brodie Steigerwald's shot went wide right.
The first half saw each team get off six shots with both keepers up to the task. The Minutemen had the first chance but Fordham keeper Ryan Meara was able to save a shot from Bryant Craft in the seventh minute.
Less than a minute later, Tim Richardson's shot was denied by Massachusetts keeper Chris Piekos and in the 24th minute, McHugh had a scoring chance for the Rams that was stopped by Piekos.
Meara made his second save of the half on an Andrew Henshaw header five minutes later and the two teams settled for a scoreless tie after the first 45 minutes.
Meara finished with the two saves in net for Fordham as he notched his fifth shutout of the year and the 20th of his Fordham career.
The Rams will next be in action on Sunday as they travel to Kingston, R.I., to face the University of Rhode Island in an Atlantic 10 match at 1:00 p.m.
Scoring Summary
1st Goal - Fordham - John Niyonsaba 1 (John McHugh, Matt Courtenay) 63:38
Goalkeepers
Fordham - Ryan Meara (9-6-0, 2 saves)
Massachusetts - Chris Piekos (4-3-6, 2 saves)
