Philadelphia, Pa. – Behind an early goal by
Matthew Lewis and some solid defense on the final attack by La Salle, the Rams posted a 1-0 road win against the Explorers at McCarthy Stadium on Saturday afternoon.
With the win, Fordham improves to 5-4-3 on the year, 2-1-1 in the Atlantic 10, while La Salle fell to 6-7-0 overall, 1-2-0 in the league. The win was also a milestone for Fordham head coach
Jim McElderry, as it was the 100
th coaching win of his career at Fordham. He is the third Fordham soccer coach to reach the century mark in wins, joining former men's coach Frank Schnur (260 wins) and former women's coach
Ness Selmani (148 wins).
"Thank you to all the players who have helped me earn my 100th win today. Our match today, like most others, was very difficult and hard to win. I appreciate our team's effort today and all the time and
energy my previous teams have put in to earn our wins. Fordham is a special place and I am lucky to have had the opportunity to coach the many quality student-athletes here at Rose Hill," said McElderry after the win.
Matthew Lewis
The only goal of the contest came early in the seventh minute. On a free kick,
Janos Loebe put a shot on goal that La Salle goalkeeper Mike Kirk stopped, but the rebound was loose in front.
Matthew Lewis quickly pounced on the loose ball, knocking it into the goal for his second goal in as many games.
Fordham was able to hold on to that one-goal through a flurry of chances by La Salle. Fordham goalkeeper
Rashid Nuhu had five saves, entering the final seconds of regulation. La Salle was awarded a late corner kick, where everyone on the field loaded the box. Johnny Ciarlante was able to get a head on it but Nuhu came up with a final stop to preserve the 1-0 win.
However, the excitement off a crazy finish went a touch sour, as following the final horn, there was a scrum in the Fordham goal, where multiple cards were handed out.
The Fordham men's soccer team will next be in action on Tuesday, October 18
th, when the Rams host Lehigh in a non-conference game at Jack Coffey Field, beginning at 7:00 PM.
