Women’s Soccer Battles for Playoff Spot in Final Regular Season A-10 Matches

Bronx, N.Y. – (October 23, 2019) – The final week of the Atlantic 10 women's soccer season is here and as many as five playoff spots are up for grabs, and the Fordham Rams are right in the thick of the playoff hunt heading into their final two Atlantic 10 matches.  The Rams travel to Dayton on Thursday night, while hosting Davidson on Sunday in the regular season finale. 
 
Fordham (4-9-4, 3-3-2 A-10) is currently sixth in the Atlantic 10 standings with 11 points.   The Rams trail the Dayton Flyers (6-7-3, 4-2-2 A-10) by three points going into Thursday's match, while Davidson (8-7-2, 3-4-1 A-10) sits one point back of Fordham with 10 points, along with Saint Joseph's.  Those teams account for the last four playoff positions with Richmond (9 pts.), Duquesne (9), VCU (7), St. Bonaventure (7), Rhode Island (5), and George Mason (4) all trying to get into the top eight in the standings.  George Washington (22), Saint Louis (22), and Massachusetts (16) have secured a playoff spot and are playing for seeding this week, while La Salle (15) is trying to join them.
 
GAME COVERAGE:
Thursday – Fordham at Dayton– 7:00 PM ET – Live Video (ESPN+) | International Stream | Live Stats
 
Sunday – Davidson at Fordham – 1:00 PM ET – Live Video (ESPN+) | International Stream | Live Stats
 
SERIES HISTORY: Thursday will be the 21st all-time meeting between Fordham and Dayton, but the teams have not met since 2016.  The Flyers are 14-3-3 against the Rams, but Fordham won the last match between the schools in 2016 by a 2-1 score at Jack Coffey Field.
 
On Sunday, it is the fifth-ever meeting between the Rams and Wildcats.  Fordham is unbeaten against Davidson in the previous four meetings at 3-0-1, which includes a 4-1 win at Davidson last season, where current Rams Maura Holst had a goal with Kelly LaMorte and Emma Johnson each having an assist.
 
LAST TIME OUT: As the women's soccer regular season winds down, every game turns into a battle for precious points, and Sunday was the perfect example of that, as the Fordham Rams and Saint Joseph's played to a scoreless draw in Philadelphia.
 
There was little help from the elements in the game, as rainy, cooler conditions were a part of the entire contest.
 
Fordham ended the match with a 15-8 shot advantage, with six of those 15 shots on frame.  The Rams also did plenty of work on the defensive end, thwarting 10-second half corner kicks without allowing a goal.

The Rams did come close to taking home a victory with four premium chances in the overtime periods.  First, Maura Holst was stopped in the 95^th minute as the Hawks recorded a defender save to keep the game scoreless. 
 
In the second session of overtime, Juliana Mascelli cut into the box around a Saint Joseph's defender in the 108^th minute and blistered a shot toward net.  The shot just went wide of the right post, resulting in a goal kick.  Then in the final minute, Saige Bingman and Margaret Roughley each had an opportunity with Bingman's being saved by the Hawks goalkeeper, while Roughley's shot missed the net, just off the left post.
 
In net, Kelly LaMorte recorded her fifth shutout of the season, making three saves.  It was the 15^th of her career, moving her into a tie for second all-time at Fordham with Rachel Suther (2009-12). For the Hawks, Cameron Perrott had five saves.
 
ETIENNE LISTED AS TOP 100 FRESHMAN BY TOP DRAWER SOCCER:  TopDrawerSoccer.com released its mid-season freshman rankings for the top 100 first-year player, and among them is Fordham's Danielle Etienne.  She rated 90^th overall - https://www.topdrawersoccer.com/college-soccer/college-national-freshmen-top-100/women – and is one of three Atlantic 10 freshmen listed along with Saint Louis' Anna Lawler (#28) and UMass' Melissa Kössler (#31).
 
Etienne has had an eventful first season with Fordham.  She has started 12 games with the Rams this year, and also was called up the Haitian Women's National Team, taking part in the Caribbean CONCACAF qualifiers for the 2020 Tokyo Olympics and helped Haiti win the Group C of the Caribbean Qualifiers.  
 
LAMORTE AMONG NATIONAL & ATLANTIC 10 LEADERS: The NCAA released its weekly statistics report and Fordham goalkeeper Kelly LaMorte finds herself among the national leaders in two categories.  She is tied for 16^th in the country in total saves (87), while being second in minutes played (1631).   Both marks are tops in the Atlantic 10 Conference this season as well.
 
In addition, LaMorte moved up another spot on the Rams' career shutout list, as she is now tied for second with 15 shutouts along with Rachel Suther (2009-12).
 
WHO'S NEXT: The Atlantic 10 Championship gets underway with quarterfinal action at campus sites on November 2^nd and 3^rd with the semifinals and final at the University of Dayton, November 8-10.