Davidson, N.C. – Behind an early goal by
Brooke Salmon and six saves by
Megan Fitzgerald, the Fordham women's soccer team punched their ticket to the 2016 Atlantic 10 Championship on Thursday night with a 1-0 win over the Davidson Wildcats at Alumni Soccer Stadium.
Other than the playoff berth, the win improved Fordham to 10-4-4 on the year, 5-1-3 in the Atlantic 10, and is the sixth time in team history that the Rams have reached the 10-win plateau. The loss puts Davidson at 5-12-1 overall, 1-7-1 in the league and eliminated the Wildcats from postseason contention.
The lone goal of the game came in the tenth minute, as the Davidson goalkeeper fumbled a cross by
Lane Cronin, allowing
Brooke Salmon to punch it into the goal for her fourth of the season, tying
Nicol Natale for the team lead.
The Rams searched for a second marker quickly, as Natale almost took the team scoring lead back a minute later as she hit the post with a shot, while
Lane Cronin had a shot stopped in the 12
th minute.
Megan Fitzgerald punched away six shots for her fourth shutout of the season.
Though unable to get that second goal, Fordham was able to stymy the Wildcats, as
Megan Fitzgerald and the Rams' defender core kept most of the action away from the Fordham goal. The best chance for the Wildcats came in the 83
rd minute, as both Alexa Landsberger and Cameron France had chances inside the six-yard box, but Fitzgerald was able to stop both attempts and pin the ball under her legs to secure the 1-0 shutout win.
Fitzgerald ended the night with six saves for her fourth shutout of the season and 14
th of her career, while Kendall Thomas had two stops for Davidson.
The Fordham women's soccer team will now play for seeding at the Atlantic 10 Championship in the regular season finale on Sunday, October 30
th, where the Rams play at George Mason, beginning at 1:00 PM. The two teams are currently tied in the conference standings with 18 points.
