Women’s Soccer’s Playoff Hopes on the Line This Weekend

Bronx, N.Y. - The Fordham women's soccer team still remains in the Atlantic 10 playoff hunt with two games left on the schedule.  The Rams face off with the team they are chasing for the final playoff berth, the Saint Joseph's Hawks, on Thursday night in Philadelphia, while on Sunday, the Rams host Saint Louis for Senior Day at 1:00 PM on Jack Coffey Field.
 
Fordham (5-7-5, 2-4-2 A10) is currently tied for ninth place with Dayton, one spot out of the playoff picture.  Saint Joseph's (8-5-3, 3-3-2 A10) holds down the eighth and final playoff spot, while Saint Louis (14-1-2, 6-1-1 A10) is fighting for home field advantage in the opening round of the Atlantic 10 Championship.
 
GAME COVERAGE:
Thursday – Fordham at Saint Joseph's – 7:00 PM – Live Video* | Live Stats | Follow on Twitter @FordhamWSoccer
 
Sunday – Saint Louis at Fordham – 1:00 PM – Live Video* - | Live Stats | Follow on Twitter @FordhamWSoccer
* - Make sure to have the latest Adobe Flash Player plug-in enabled on your browser to view game. Having trouble, go here.
 
SERIES HISTORY: This will be the 22^nd meeting between Fordham and Saint Joseph's, with the Rams holding a 10-6-5 lead in the series.  The Rams are 2-0-2 in the last four meetings, as Saint Joseph's has not beaten the Rams since 2012.  Last season, the two teams played to a 1-1 draw with Clara Gastaldi netting the Rams' goal.  It was the lone blemish for the Hawks in Atlantic 10 play, as the Hawks won the other nine conference contests.
 
On Sunday, it will be the eighth all-time meeting between the Rams and Billikens with Saint Louis holding a 4-3-0 edge in the series.  Saint Louis won last year's meeting, 1-0, in St. Louis, while Fordham's last win came in 2015 at Coffey Field.
 
LAST TIME OUT: Facing the top team in the Atlantic 10, the Fordham women's soccer team played even with the La Salle Explorers for 85 minutes, but a foul call late in the match, gave the Explorers a penalty kick goal and a 1-0 win over the Rams at McCarthy Stadium.
 
Much like the last five games, the Fordham defense was up to the test against the first place Explorers, not allowing many scoring chances, as Fordham goalkeeper Kelly LaMorte was called upon to make three saves in the game.

 
The game looked like it was headed for overtime for the fourth straight game for the Rams, however, in the 86^th minute, La Salle's Danielle Marx was tripped up in the box, going toward the goal by a Fordham defender, awarding a penalty kick to the Explorers.  Kristin Haugstad stepped to the spot and scored her eighth goal of the season for the 1-0 lead.
 
Fordham almost found the equalizer in the 88^th minute, when Crea Baker-Durante fired a shot toward goal, but La Salle goalkeeper Larisa Zambelli punched the save over the crossbar to preserve the shutout win.
 
WOMEN'S SOCCER PINK JERSEYS NOW UP FOR AUCTION: Help the Fordham women's soccer program raise funds for their annual Cancer Awareness Day by purchasing a game-worn pink jersey that the Rams donned against Duquesne on October 1.
 
Numbers available are 0, 1, 3, 4, 5, 6, 9, 11, 12, 13, 15, 17, 18, 21, 26, 27, 28, and 55. All of these jerseys will be auctioned off with the opening bid for each starting at $50.  All proceeds will go to Montefiore Einstein Center for Cancer Care.  To bid on your jersey go to http://fordhamsports.com/auctions/ and scroll down to the number you would like.  Don't miss out on your chance to own this historic, limited edition jersey!
 
WHO'S NEXT: If the Rams clinch a playoff spot, the Rams will open Atlantic 10 Championship action on either October 28th or 29th, with opponent and location to be determined based on seeding.