Syracuse, N.Y. – The Fordham men's soccer team wrapped up its first week of preseason on Sunday, as the Rams headed up to Syracuse for a match-up with the Orange, who have already garnered a preseason ranking. The match was a strong one with the Orange coming away with a 2-1 win at the SU Soccer Stadium.
"I thought this was a really good test for us. Our guys put in a real strong effort against a top quality team that reached the Sweet 16 and the NCAA Tournament last year. I felt we matched up well and learned some lessons , and will grow off those lessons as we continue the preseason," said Fordham head coach Jim McElderry
Stefanos Stamoulacatos opened the game's scoring in the 12th minute when he finished an Emil Ekblom pass in front of the goal after Ekblom got past a Fordham defender. A little more than 25 minutes later, Nick Perea gave the Orange a 2-0 advantage with a header on a long Jordan Murrell service.
In the second half, Fordham's Casper Gimand converted a corner-kick opportunity in the 62nd minute to close the gap to 2-1. Gimand put in a perfect header off of a Tommy Granot corner kick. However, that was as close as Fordham would get, falling to the Orange by one.
Fordham keepers Sean Brailey and Alex Naples teamed up for six saves. Brailey stopped four shots in the opening period. Naples made two spectacular diving saves in the second half.
"The returning players were impressive tonight and have been thus far. Their fitness level is the best it's been since they've been here at Fordham, and the leadership of our six seniors has been excellent. I'm very excited about coaching this group this year," said McElderry.
The Rams continue their preseason action with an exhibition contest against Siena at 4:00 PM on Wednesday, August 21st, at Jack Coffey Field.
Box Score
SU Soccer Stadium, Syracuse, N.Y.
August 18, 2013
Fordham 0 - 1 - 1
#20 Syracuse 2 - 0 - 2
Scoring: SU: Stefanos Stamoulacatos (Emil Ekblom) 11:30, SU: Nick Perea (Jordan Murrell) 37:02, FOR: Casper Gimand (Tommy Granot) 61:26
Shots: SU 14, FOR 8
Corners: SU 9, FOR 3
Saves: SU 1 (Andrew Coughlin 1, Matt Stith 0), FOR 6 (Sean Brailey 4, Alex Naples 2)
Fouls: SU 11, FOR 11
Offsides: SU 1, FOR 0
