Men’s Soccer Upends Virginia Tech, 2-1, at JMU Invitational

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The Fordham men's soccer squad was on a mission on Sunday afternoon to get rid of the sour taste of Friday night's overtime loss to James Madison.  The Rams did that and then some, as Jon Agostino and Taylor Gulbins both scored in a 2-1 victory over Virginia Tech at the JMU Invitational in Harrisonburg, Virginia.
 
The win evens Fordham's record at 1-1, and is the first win by Fordham over an ACC school since Jim McElderry took over as head coach.  It was also the Rams' first win against Virginia Tech since 1996, when both schools were members of the Atlantic 10.
 
"I'm very happy for our guys.  We were unlucky not to get a result on Friday against JMU," said McElderry. "Today, we played an excellent first half going up 2-0.  Virginia Tech put us under a lot of pressure in the second half but the team worked hard for each other."
 
Virginia Tech got the first scoring chance in the opening minute, but it was Fordham's first chance that resulted in a goal.  In the 17^th minute, Blake Bohlen's shot was stopped by Hokies' goalkeeper Kyle Renfro, but Jon Agostino pounced on the rebound to score his first collegiate goal.
 
The score remained at 1-0 until late in the half, when Fordham struck again to take a two-goal lead.  This time, it was Taylor Gulbins finishing off a cross from Kyle Bitterman for his first marker of the year.
 
Virginia Tech picked up the pressure in the second half, but the Fordham defense and Naples held strong with Naples picking up two saves over the first 25 minutes.  Then in the 74^th minute, the Hokies broke through, cutting the Fordham lead in half.  Daniel Lauretano headed home a cross from Robert Alberti for his first of the season.
 
Fordham though was able to hold of six more Virginia Tech shots and three corner kicks over the final 16:53 to clinch a 2-1 victory.  Naples finished the contest with seven saves to record his first win as a Ram, while Renfro had two stops for the Hokies, who fell to 1-1 on the season.  Following the end of the tournament, Fordham's Ollie Kelly, Nathaniel Bekoe, and Casper Gimand were named to the All-Tournament team.
 
"We are starting to build our identity as a team, but it was a quality team effort today and the entire weekend.  We get back at it Tuesday and looking forward to our home opener against an always well coached Yale team," said McElderry.
 
The Fordham men's soccer team will next be in action on Friday, September 6^th, as the squad opens its home slate against the Yale Bulldogs at 5:00 PM in the first half of a soccer doubleheader at Jack Coffey Field.

All-Tournament Team
Josh Grant (James Madison)