After three exhibition contests, the Fordham men's soccer team kicks off its regular season this weekend at the Fairfield Inn By Marriott JMU Invitational in Harrisonburg, Virginia. The Rams open the tournament on Friday against the host Dukes, while on Sunday, Fordham matches up with Virginia Tech.
LIVE COVERAGE:
Friday - Fordham at James Madison - Live Stats | Follow on Twitter
Sunday – Fordham vs. Virginia Tech - Live Stats | Follow on Twitter
SERIES HISTORY AGAINST JAMES MADISON: This is the first ever meeting between Fordham and James Madison.
SERIES HISTORY AGAINST VIRGINIA TECH: Fordham has met with Virginia Tech six times, when the Hokies were a member of the Atlantic 10. The Rams were 1-4-1 in those six games with two ending in overtime. The lone Fordham win came in 1996, the year the Fordham captured the Atlantic 10 Championship.
LAST TIME OUT: The Fordham men's soccer team played three preseason contests where, the Rams came up on the short end, falling to Syracuse (2-1), Siena (3-1), and Vermont (1-0).
Casper Gimand netted Fordham's goal in the Syracuse game, while Ollie Kelly scored on the Siena contest.
PRESEASON ACCOLADES/RANKINGS: The Atlantic 10 Conference announced its 2013 Men's Soccer Preseason Poll and Preseason All-Conference and All-Rookie Squads with Fordham selected to finish sixth in the 13-team league. In addition to the poll, freshman Andrew Hickey was named to the Conference's Preseason All-Rookie Team.
Saint Louis received 11 of a possible 12 first-place votes and a total of 143 points to take the top spot. VCU picked up the remaining first-place nod and 133 points to place second in the poll. The league's newest member George Mason was slotted third with 113 points, just one point ahead of Dayton which landed in fourth. La Salle was fifth with 89 points, while Fordham (84 pts.) and Duquesne (70 pts.) were tabbed sixth and seventh, respectively. Rhode Island (51 pts.), Massachusetts (50 pts.), George Washington (50 pts.), Saint Bonaventure (28 pts.) and Saint Joseph's (15 pts.) round out the poll.
Hickey was one of eight players named to the All-Rookie squad. The 5-11 defender from Kilkenny, Ireland, is one of two international additions to Fordham for this upcoming season. He spent two years at CBS Kilkenny in Ireland before attending Montverde Academy in Florida for his final two seasons of high school. He played varsity soccer in both seasons at Montverde at left back, helping the squad to an undefeated record and a #1 ranking in the U.S. by three different high school soccer polls. Individually, Hickey was ranked #78 in the ESPN Rise recruiting class for 2013 and was selected to the All-Tournament team at both the Montverde Academy Soccer Tournament and the Berkley Prep Tournament.
Prior to his play at Montverde, Hickey was the starting left back for the Kilkenny U18 team, which won the U18 National Championship. He was also selected to be a part of Ireland's Emerging Talents Program for three seasons, while taking part in the Irish U16 National team trials and team camp.
On top of the Atlantic 10's release, College Sports Madness (CSM) also announced its Preseason All-Conference Teams for Atlantic 10 Conference. Fordham had one selection to the preseason squad, as sophomore Kyle Bitterman was selected to Second Team All-League.
Bitterman had a quality first season with Fordham in 2012, as he was named to the Atlantic 10 All-Rookie Team. He played in all 17 games as a freshman, starting 14, and tied for the team lead in scoring with six points. He netted two goals and two assists on the year with both goals being game-winners.
WHO'S NEXT: Following this weekend's action, the Fordham men's soccer team opens its home slate against the Yale Bulldogs at 5:00 PM in the first half of a soccer doubleheader at Jack Coffey Field.
