Washington, D.C. – (September 26, 2019) – Despite a career day for senior goalkeeper
Kelly LaMorte, the Fordham women's soccer team came up one bounce short, as the Rams were edged out by the George Washington Colonials, 2-1, at the Mount Vernon Athletic Complex in Washington, D.C.
It was Fordham's fourth overtime game of the season as the Rams moved to 2-7-2 on the year, 1-1 in the Atlantic 10, while the Colonials improved to 6-1-2 overall, 2-0 in the league.
The Rams got the start and bounce a team is looking for, taking a 1-0 lead late in the first half. In the 40
th minute,
Danielle Etienne put a long ball forward to the box, which deflected off the head of a George Washington defender toward the penalty spot.
Crea Baker-Durante was right there for the loose ball, poking it past the goalkeeper into the right side of the net for her second goal of the season.
The score remained in favor of the Rams into the second half, when George Washington knotted the game at one in the 54
th minute. Sammy Neyman put a long cross into the box from the right side, finding the head of Megan McCormick, who glanced the ball into the left side of the net for her third goal of the season.
Kelly LaMorte
The score stayed at knotted at one due to the goalkeeper efforts of Fordham's
Kelly LaMorte and George Washington's Tamaki Machi. In total, LaMorte was credited with a career-high 14 saves, eight in the second half, which was the most for a Fordham goalkeeper in over two decades. The previous-best in that time span was a 13-save performance by Megan Fitzgerald in 2013 against Rutgers as well as by Elisabeth Road in the 2006 Atlantic 10 Championship match against Saint Louis. LaMorte's previous career-high was nine earlier this season against Syracuse.
For Machi, her big moment came in the 89
th minute. Fordham's
Milan Bornstein had a corner kick and found
Morgan Busacca right in front of the goal for the shot, but it was snagged by Machi to force overtime.
In overtime, George Washington was awarded a corner kick in the 96
th minute. Neyman took the corner, which found the head of Madi Coyne deflecting the ball into the net for the game-winning marker.
The Fordham women's soccer team will next be in action on Sunday, September 29
th, when the Rams play at Richmond for a 1:00 PM start.
