Men’s Soccer Preps for A-10 Championship with Final Two Matches of the Regular Season

Bronx, N.Y. – (October 28, 2019) – Following a huge win four-point week that helped secure an Atlantic 10 Championship berth, the Fordham men's soccer team looks ahead to possibly securing a quarterfinal home game going into the final week of the regular season.
 
First, the Rams (5-9-2, 4-2-1 A-10) will renew their crosstown series with the Columbia Lions (3-5-4) at Commisso Soccer Stadium on Tuesday night.  The Lions are looking for their first win since October 5^th, posting two draws and two losses since that last victory.  The team is led by John Denis, who has a team-best five goals and 13 points this season.
 
Then in the regular season finale, the Rams head to St. Louis for their final conference match against the Saint Louis Billikens (10-5-0, 6-1-0 A-10).  Both teams have locked up a playoff berth, but still have plenty to play for seeding.  The Billikens still have a chance at the top seed in the Championship, while Fordham can still finish third or fourth with a win plus other results, and potentially host a quarterfinal match at Jack Coffey Field.
 
GAME COVERAGE:
Tuesday – Fordham at Columbia – 7:00 PM ET - Live Video (ESPN+) | Live Stats | Follow on Twitter @FordhamSoccer
 
Saturday – Fordham at Saint Louis – 8:00 PM ET – Live Video (ESPN+) | Live Stats | Follow on Twitter @FordhamSoccer
 
SERIES HISTORY: The week begins with one of Fordham's longest running series against one opponent in the Columbia Lions.  This will be the 47^th match-up between the two New York City schools since the late 1950s with the Lions holding a 27-13-6 record over the Rams.  Fordham has gotten the better of Columbia in recent years, winning three of the last meetings, including a 1-0 decision last year at Jack Coffey Feld.
 
For Saint Louis, this is the 11^th all-time meeting with the Billikens holding a 7-3 edge.  However, the last meeting in St. Louis back in 2016, it was Fordham that came away with a 2-1 road victory in overtime.
 
LAST TIME OUT: Playing in their final regular season home match, the Fordham men's soccer graduating class made it a special one as graduate student Filippo Ricupati scored twice with senior Johannes Pieles also adding a goal, as the Rams took home a 3-1 win over the George Mason Patriots at Jack Coffey Field on Saturday.
 
Fordham wasted little time getting on the scoreboard in the eighth minute of action, as the Rams peppered George Mason goalkeeper Brison Moorhead early and often.  Jack Sluys played the ball in to Sameer Fathazada near the penalty spot.  Fathazada headed the ball down to Filippo Ricupati, who tucked a shot inside the left post for his fourth goal of the season.
 
The Rams continue to pour on the offense, getting a two-goal lead in the 32^nd minute.   Joergen Oland won a challenged near the sideline and made a run of 20 yards, launching a cross into the box.  Johannes Pieles got on the end of that cross at the top of the six-yard box and deflected it into the net for his second marker of the year.

 
Fordham ended the first half with the 2-0 lead and a 15-1 edge in shots with Moorhead having to come up with six saves in the period to keep the Patriots in the game.
 
The match remained at 2-0 until the 79^th minute, when George Mason scored on a set piece.  Daniel Damiani put a free kick into the box from about 30 yards out that glanced off the head of Mads Tranberg and into the net for his first goal of the season.
 
The Rams though sealed the game away with a goal in the 82^nd minute for a 3-1 final.  Fathazada picked up a loose ball at the top of the 18-yard box and laid the ball off to Ricupati for a shot just inside the left post for his second goal of the game and his fifth of the year.
 
In goal, Konstantin Weis recorded four saves in the win, while Moorhead had seven in the loss for the Patriots.
 
CLIMBING THE RANKS: In his last contest, senior defender Joergen Oland cracked the top ten in both games played and games started at Fordham.   He has started all 74 games he has appeared in netting 15 goals and three assists for 33 points in his career.  His 74 games played are tied for ninth all-time at Fordham with six other players, while the 74 starts are tied for seventh with three other players.
 
I'll TAKE TWO PLEASE: With Filippo Ricupati scoring twice in the Rams' 3-1 win over George Mason on Saturday, he is the third different Ram to have a multi-goal game this season.  Both Joergen Oland and Luke McNamara also have a two-goal game this season for the Fordham Rams, both of which came against Holy Cross.
 
WHO'S NEXT: Following this week's games, the Rams will take part in the 2019 Atlantic 10 Championship quarterfinal round with date, opponent, and location to be determined.