Women’s Soccer Heads to Massachusetts for A-10 Championship Quarterfinal

Amherst, Mass. – (November 1, 2019) – For the fourth time in five seasons, the Fordham women's soccer team is a part of the Atlantic 10 Championship and is seeded sixth in the championship tournament.  The Rams will face third-seeded the Massachusetts Minutewomen in the quarterfinals held at Rudd Field in Amherst, Massachusetts, on Sunday, November 3^rd at 1:00 PM.
 
Fordham (4-4-2 A-10, 5-10-4) enters the championship on an emotional high after winning their regular season finale in overtime over Davidson on Monday morning on Marissa Stanco's first career goal.  Massachusetts (6-3-1 A-10, 9-5-3) has had a solid season, led by its scoring duo of Melissa Kossler and Lauren Bonavita.  Kossler is the leading scorer in the Atlantic 10 this season with 29 points on 11 goals and seven assists, while Bonavita has 10 goals and one assist for 21 points.  In net, Peyton Ryan has started all 17 games for the Minutewomen, recording a 1.63 GAA and two shutouts.
 
GAME COVERAGE:
Sunday – Fordham at Massachusetts – 1:00 PM ET – Championship Central | Live Video (ESPN+) | Live Stats
 
RAMS IN A-10 CHAMPIONSHIP: This is Fordham's 10^th trip to the Atlantic 10 Championship and the fourth in the last five seasons.  The Rams are 5-9-2 overall with the two ties turning into advancement in the championship on penalty kicks in both the 2007 and 2015 semifinals.  The team has reached the conference championship match three times in 2006, 2007, and 2015, but is still looking for its first Atlantic 10 crown.
 
SERIES HISTORY: Sunday will be the 21^st all-time meeting between Fordham and Massachusetts with the Minutewomen holding a 13-6-1 edge in the series.  The two teams did not meet during the 2019 season, but did so last year with the match ending in a 1-1 draw at Jack Coffey Field.  Amanda Miller scored the Rams' goal in that game.  Amazingly enough, the two squads have only played each other twice in the last five years.          
 
In the Atlantic 10 Championship, this is the second time the Rams and Minutewomen have matched up with the other time being a 3-0 win by Fordham in 2009.
 
LAST TIME OUT (10/28): The 24 hours from Sunday into Monday at Jack Coffey Field saw a little bit of everything from heavy rains and a flooded field to sunshine and perfect field conditions.  Drama and a little bit of overtime magic was also on the docket as the Fordham Rams and Davidson Wildcats battled for the last Atlantic 10 playoff spot early Monday morning and saw Fordham pull out a 2-1 overtime victory on Marissa Stanco's first career goal in the 95^th minute.
 
The match went scoreless in the first half with Davidson registering three shots to Fordham's two.  Then the fireworks began.
 
First, Davidson had an opportunity to go ahead in the 66^th minute on an attempt by Shannon Lytle, but Fordham goalkeeper Kelly LaMorte was able to snag the ball before crossing into the left side of the net.
 
The Wildcats would cash in a minute later for the 1-0 lead.   A pass in by Davidson would try to be knocked away by a Fordham defender, but the ball went right to Rachel Schleicher who scored into the right side of the net for her first goal of the season.

 
The match stayed in favor of the Wildcats until the 80^th minute.  Margaret Roughley headed a cross off the crossbar for the Rams, with the rebound coming to Crea Baker-Durante.  Baker-Durante then half volleyed a shot under the crossbar for her third goal of the season.
 
Neither team could find the deciding goal until overtime, when Fordham came up with some more Coffey Field overtime magic in the 95^th minute.  LaMorte sent a long punt forward that was settled by Maura Holst, right to Marissa Stanco for a one-time shot from distance under the bar for the game-winning tally.  It was Stanco's first career goal.
 
In net, LaMorte had two saves and an assist in the win, while Mary Grace Bunch registered three saves for Davidson. 

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 23rd in the country in total saves (93), while being second in minutes played (1815).   Her minutes played is the top mark in the Atlantic 10 Conference this season, while her 93 saves are second only to La Salle's Claudia Jenkins (94).
 
In addition, LaMorte moved up another spot on the Rams' career shutout list with her shutout at Saint Joseph's on October 20th, as she is now tied for second with 15 shutouts along with Rachel Suther (2009-12).
 
WHO'S NEXT: With a win, Fordham will move on to the Atlantic 10 Championship semifinals, which will take place at the University of Dayton on November 8^th.  The championship match is set for November 10^th.