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On a night that they were honored in a pre-game ceremony, Fordham seniors
Kaitlyn Carballeira and
Mary Solimine made it an even more memorable night, as they combined for the lone goal in a 1-0 win over Duquesne at Jack Coffey Field on Friday night.
With the win, Fordham finishes the regular season at 5-9-3 overall, 3-4-1 in Atlantic 10 play, while Duquesne fell to 6-8-2 on the year, 2-4-1 in the conference.
Needing a win to have any chance at making next week's Atlantic 10 Championship, the Rams put in an all-out effort, which began with recording the first six shots of the game. It was however the fourth shot of that sequence that turned into the difference maker.
After a foul on Duquesne in the 20
th minute,
Mary Solimine lined up a free kick from near the Fordham bench. She lifted a high arcing cross that found the head of
Kaitlyn Carballeira, who knocked the ball in from eight yards out for her second goal of the season.
From there, Fordham looked to increase the lead in the waning minutes of the half, when a Rams' player was brought down in the box, awarding a penalty kick to the Rams.
Kelsey Dougherty Howard stepped to the penalty spot, but lifted the kick just high of the crossbar, keeping the score at 1-0.
The Rams kept the pressure on in the second half, as late in the period
Nicol Natale went on a long run from midfield, getting around two Duquesne defenders and putting a shot toward goal, which the goalkeeper had to make a diving stop on.
Fordham's defense would post the clean sheet, limiting the Dukes to eight shots and one corner kick in the game. In net,
Megan Fitzgerald made two saves to record her first collegiate win and shutout, while Duquesne's Ashley Szalwinski had eight stops.
The win puts Fordham's conference point total at 10, which puts them in a tie for the seventh place with Richmond and Saint Joseph's. The Rams will have to await the results from Saturday and Sunday's games to see if they will play in the Atlantic 10 Championship next weekend.
