Men’s Soccer Nipped by St. John’s, 1-0

In the first meeting between the two schools in 18 years, the Fordham Rams and St. John's Red Storm pushed each other to the limit in the final non-conference game of the season.  In the end, the Red Storm picked up a late goal in the 87^th minute to sneak out a 1-0 win at Belson Stadium.
 
With the loss, Fordham finishes non-conference action at 3-5-1, while St. John's improved to 3-4-3.
 
The first scoring chance came in the 13^th minute on a header by St. John's Tim Parker, but was caught and handled by Fordham goalkeeper Sean Brailey.
 
It would be a busy night for Brailey, as he later came up big with two saves in the final five minutes of the half to keep the Red Storm off the scoreboard.
 

Offensively, the Rams' first scoring chance came off the foot of Andrew Hickey, as he lobbed a shot toward the top right corner, but the ball was snagged by goalkeeper Jordan Stagmiller.  Later in the half, Mike McNamara got a chance in the waning minutes of the period, but it was again stopped by Stagmiller.
 
Fordham then came out aggressively in the second half.  Ole Sandnes got off a big blast 20 yards out from goal, but Stagmiller made the save in the 48^th minute, while Eric Ohlendorf got into a shot from 25 yards out that sailed high.
 
Brailey continued to shine on the defensive end, as the St. John's attack built up a header attempt by Marco Bordon in the 63^rd minute that was smothered by Brailey to keep the game scoreless.

 
Fordham's best chances of the night came in the 73^rd and 77^th minute.  First, Jannik Loebe was able to get away from a defender on a semi-breakaway.  He deeked the goalie right and shot to the left post, sliding the ball just inches wide of the post.  Later, it was Ryan Walsh with another chance at goal, but Stagmiller was up to the task to deny the junior forward.
 
St. John's came close to netting the first goal in the 82^nd minute, when Hickey was called for a foul, allowing a free kick from the right side.  The free kick ended up off the head of Bordon, but Brailey denied him again with a diving stop.
 
Brailey's luck however would end in the 87^th minute, as off a Daniel Herrera corner kick, Gabriel Camara headed the ball in from eight yards out for his second goal of the season.
 
Fordham had one chance to tie on a long shot from distance by Tomas Penfold, but it was handled easily by Stagmiller, preserving the shutout.
 
For Fordham, Brailey made a career-high nine saves in goal, while Stagmiller had four saves for the Red Storm.
 
The Fordham men's soccer team will next be in action on Sunday, October 5^th, when the Rams begin A-10 play at home against Rhode Island, beginning at 1:00 PM.