Box Score Nov. 4, 2011
Final Stats
Philadelphia, Pa. -
The men's soccer team entered the final weekend of the season with a chance to clinch a playoff position and to win the Atlantic 10 regular season title and they accomplished the first objective on Friday night with a 2-1 edging of Saint Joseph's in Philadelphia. Freshman midfielder, Jack-Tim Murphy and senior, Tim Richardson accounted for the Fordham goals.
The Rams seized control of the game very early on, as they took a 1-0 lead in the 10th minute of action. In that minute, Nathaniel Bekoe blasted a shot that bounced off the goal post and settled at the foot of Murphy. From there, Murphy calmly flicked the ball past Hawks' keeper, Michael Moulton, and the Rams had the advantage.
They doubled that lead in the 29th minute. Richardson, who also scored in the previous game against La Salle, dribbled into the middle and beat Moulton with a low shot to his right from 20 yards out. Fordham took the 2-0 advantage into halftime and ended a half that was dominated by the Rams. In the first 45 minutes, Fordham outshot Saint Joseph's 10-1, and doubled them up on corner kicks, 2-1.
The second half saw Ryan Meara put himself into trouble as he committed a foul in the box and earned a yellow card that earned the Hawks a penalty kick. The subsequent blast by Jake Nelson found the back of the net and the score was 2-1, Fordham. That penalty kick was the only shot on goal the Hawks would have in the entire contest.
The game would end by that 2-1 score and the Rams really dominated in the stats. They outshot Saint Joseph's 19-5 and took four corner kicks to the Hawks' one. Richardson took a game-high five shots. Matt Courtenay attempted three. Aaron Markowitz and Michael Stalker each had a pair. Interestingly, this was the first game this season in which Ryan Meara played, that he failed to record at least one save.
With the win, the Rams improve to 10-6-1 overall, and 6-2 in the A-10. Saint Joseph's is 2-14. Fordham has earned a spot in the A-10 tournament with the win, but where they are seeded depends upon the outcome of several games on Sunday. There is a logjam near the top of the standings and if the Rams can defeat Temple in the final game, they will finish in first place. The game with the Owls gets underway at 1:00 P.M. on November 6.
