Sept. 4, 2011

Dover, Delaware - The Fordham women's soccer team looks to continue their winning ways at Delaware State on Sunday afternoon at 1:00 PM in Dover, Delaware.

LIVE COVERAGE: Links to Delaware State Women's Soccer Twitter.

SERIES HISTORY: This is the first ever meeting between Fordham and Delaware State.

LAST TIME OUT: Down two goals in the second half, the Fordham women's soccer team had 30 minutes left to turn their home opener around against Cornell on Friday. The Rams responded with goals from Kaitlin Abrams and Mariella Romano to force overtime, where Kristina Maksuti put home the game-winner 1:41 into the extra frame for a 4-3 comeback win over the Big Red at Jack Coffey Field.

An offensive explosion that saw seven goals got started just 16 seconds into the match, when Cornell's Maneesha Chitanvis capitalized on a Fordham turnover and beat Fordham goalkeeper Sarah Zieman to the right post for a 1-0 lead.

The lead was short-lived as Fordham responded quickly in the fourth minute. Off a foul, Mary Solimine pitched in a cross from the left side into the box, where Kaitlyn Carballeira headed the ball to the middle. From there, Maria Lorena Canicatti quickly headed the ball inside the right post from six yards out to knot the game at one on her first collegiate goal.

Cornell recaptured the lead in the 16th minute on Chitanvis' second tally of the match. Annmarie Kirwin posted a long shot toward goal that Zieman made the save on, but the rebound got away right to Chitanvis, who knocked it in for a 2-1 Cornell edge.

The match stayed that way at the half with Fordham making a goalkeeper change, as Rachel Suther relieved Zieman. The Big Red greeted her with a goal in the 61st minute, when Chitanvis put a pass ahead for Brook Chang, who put a shot into the far corner of the net for a two-goal lead at 3-1.

At that point on, Fordham pushed the offense forward trying to rally back from the two-goal deficit with 30 minutes on the clock. The Rams got halfway there in the 72nd minute on a Michaela Murphy corner kick. Murphy's cross found its way right in front of goal, where Kaitlin Abrams got a head on it and knocked it over the goal line to make it, 3-2, with her first goal of the season. Then, Solimine, playing more as an offensive midfielder than her normal defender role, got loose with the ball in the 79th minute. As she crossed into the box, she was taken down by two Cornell defenders and awarded a penalty kick. Mariella Romano then stepped to the penalty kick spot and tied the game at three with a goal to the left side of the net.

The incredible comeback by Fordham forced overtime, where the Rams wasted little time getting the game-winner. With only 1:41 off the clock, Katherine Wah spun away from a Cornell defender at the right corner of the box, crossing the ball to Kristina Maksuti in front. Maksuti quickly spun and scored inside the left post for her third goal of the season and the first game-winner of her career.

Fordham finished with a 19-8 edge in shots over Cornell as well as an 8-1 advantage in corner kicks.

In net, Suther was credited the win for Fordham, making one save in 47 minutes, while Zieman had one save in the first 45 minutes.

TEAM CAPTAINS: Seniors Michaela Murphy and Mariella Romano have been voted as the team captains by the coaches and players for the 2011 season.

EARLY IMPACT: Just three games into her Fordham career, freshman Kristina Maksuti has proven herself to be a player that opposing team's always have to keep an eye on. She leads the team with 16 shots, seven points, and three goals. Two of those goals came in the opener at Seton Hall, where she became the first Fordham freshman to record a multi-goal game in her first career game.

Since 1999, Fordham has had six freshmen score in their first career goal in their first career game. The last was Katie Sanchez in 2005 against Iona. Other freshmen to score in their first game were Corey Dunfey, Lena Daragjati, and Katie Noon in 2002 against St. Peter's, and Beth Kitson and Erin Safarik in 1999 against St. John's.

Fellow freshmen Maria Lorena Canicatti and Megan Poiesz have also found the scoring column this season with Canicatti having a goal and an assist, while Poiesz netted her first career goal at Rutgers.