Aug. 13, 2010
Bronx, N.Y. -
In preparation for its earliest ever start, expectations are high for head coach Ness Selmani and the Fordham women's soccer team which begin their 2010 season on August 22nd. The Rams were picked to finish third in the Atlantic 10 by the league's coaches, the highest preseason ranking for Fordham since joining the league.
Optimism is running high for the team, as it enters the lone exhibition game prior to the start of the season on Saturday at Rutgers at 7:00 PM. Rutgers is ranked 18th in the preseason NSCAA poll, and was picked second in the Big East, giving Fordham a stern test in preseason action.
The team had two players named to the preseason All-Conference team in senior midfielder Katie McDermott (10 career goals, 2008 First Team All-Atlantic) and sophomore forward Annie Worden (2008 leading scorer with seven goals and 16 points), while the focus of the whole group is on a single goal: capturing that first A-10 title.
Fordham has come close to that elusive title in each of the last four seasons. In 2006, Fordham defeated La Salle and Charlotte to advance to the championship game, but fell to Saint Louis in the final. The same happened in 2007, as the Rams advanced past Dayton to another championship game, but this time could not get past Charlotte in the final. The past two seasons, Fordham has won their opening contest at the Atlantic 10 Championship, but lost in the semifinals to Dayton (2008) and Charlotte (2009).
Hoping to kick the trend, Fordham returns a sleak, fast crew, which includes McDermott, Worden, senior forward Michelle Ancelj (four goals in each of her three seasons), senior defender Danielle Ingram (played in all 22 games last year), senior defender Lauren Nowakowski (started 41 of last 42 games with 17 shutouts), senior midfielder Kelsey Walker (started 15 games in 2009), junior midfielder Michaela Murphy (started 12 of 18 games in 2009), junior midfielder Mariella Romano (posted a goal and four assists in each of her first two seasons), and sophomore goalkeeper Rachel Suther (posted four shutouts as a freshman). Each of these players started at least 11 games in 2009, giving Fordham a very experienced and versatile group on the pitch.
Excitement also surrounds the newcomers, including freshman Avilla Bergin, who was a preseason All-Rookie team selection, and is currently playing in 2011 World Cup qualifying matches for the Northern Ireland National Team, earning four CAPS through July 2010. Other newcomers include Casey Nowakowski, who joins her sister, Lauren, on the team, Megan O'Conor, who played for the same club team as Worden, Mary Solimine, who played for the same club team as sophomore Kaitlin Abrams, Kelly Alpaugh, a top goal scorer at Clearview Regional High School, Kaitlyn Carballeira, a big, 5-11 All-New York State defender, and Kelsey Dougherty Howard, a 5-9 player from Florida who bring size and speed to the Rams' offensive attack.
With experienced players, talented youth, and a high pressure attacking system based on speed, the Fordham women's soccer team has plenty of reasons to be optimistic and have high expectations for 2010. The team looks to get off to a quick start, as the Rams open the regular season with three straight home games against Seton Hall (Aug. 22), Maine (Aug. 24), and Manhattan (Aug. 29).
