The Fordham men's soccer team was back on the pitch on Wednesday afternoon for the second of three preseason exhibitions, as the Rams faced off with the Siena Saints on Jack Coffey Field.
"It was a tale of two halves," said Fordham head coach Jim McElderry after the game.
Fordham got out to a great start in the first half, netting a goal in the eighth minute. Ollie Kelly blasted a shot from the left side, which the Siena keeper stopped, but Kelly didn't give up on the play knocking in the rebound for a goal.
The Rams' starting 11 kept that 1-0 score through the first half, as Fordham gave up only four shots with goalkeeper Sean Brailey making one save.
"I thought the first half we played quite well. We scored a good goal, which came from Ollie Kelly. The defense was strong, and I was pretty happy with the overall performance in the first half," said McElderry.
The second half was a different story, as Siena stormed back with three second half markers. The Saints scored on two set pieces, which saw Lewis Davenport and Tom Allen net goals against Fordham keeper Ricky Berotti, while Matt Needham scored the final marker on Antonio Salluzzi, where Salluzzi got a mitt on the shot, but the shot was too strong and carried into the net.
"The second half was a disappointment. We gave up two set piece goals, which in college soccer if you do that, things will not go well for you. We have some things to work on. It's preseason and it's about learning about your team, and will be back at work tomorrow morning," said McElderry.
The Rams finish preseason play on Saturday, August 24th, when the team travels to Burlington, Vermont for a 1:00 PM contest with the Vermont Catamounts.
