Box Score Oct. 28, 2011
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Bronx, N.Y. -
The Fordham women's soccer team tried to keep their playoff hopes alive on Friday night, needing a win against the unbeaten and 25th-ranked La Salle Explorers on Senior Night at Jack Coffey Field. Senior Michaela Murphy scored in the second half to give the Rams a chance, but a late tally by La Salle and a scoreless overtime left the game as a 1-1 draw.
With the tie, Fordham ends the regular season at 8-8-3 overall, 3-4-2 in the Atlantic 10, while La Salle remains unbeaten at 15-0-3 on the year, 7-0-2 in the league. The Rams' tie coupled with wins by both St. Bonaventure and Charlotte eliminated Fordham from playoff contention.
In the opening half, the goalkeepers flashed the best play, as both La Salle's Melissa Sanger and Fordham's Rachel Suther came up with two stops against some prime scoring chances.
Suther stopped La Salle's Kelsey Haycook on two separate occasions in the first ten minutes, while Sanger made saves against Kristina Maksuti in the ninth minute and Katherine Wah in the 37th minute.
La Salle came out as the aggressor in the second half, recording the first eight shots of the period, but was denied three times by Suther as well as one by the crossbar in the 56th minute.
Then in the 77th minute, Fordham cracked the scoreboard thanks to senior Michaela Murphy. Maria Lorena Canicatti played a cross from the left side that went off a La Salle defender. Murphy picked up the loose ball dribbled inside the right side of the box, and angled a shot from nine yards, just inside the left post for her first goal of the season.
The Rams almost made it a two-goal lead in the 85th minute, as Annie Worden got loose for a one-on-one shot but Sanger was able to grab hold of the ball.
La Salle's persistence knotted the game at one just one minute later. Off a free kick from the sideline, Jess Hopton's cross was headed in by Emily Fenton for her second goal of the season.
Neither team would score in overtime as the teams combined for three shots in the extra time. The only shot on goal came from Maksuti from 35 yards out on a free kick, which was handled by Sanger.
In net, Suther finished with six saves for Fordham, while Sanger compiled four stops for the Explorers.
