Bronx, N.Y. – (October 26, 2021) – The final week of the men's soccer regular season is here, and the Fordham Rams are priming for two match-ups this week. The Rams will travel to Princeton on Tuesday night for the final non-league game of the season, while Saturday will be Senior Day for Fordham, as they host Saint Joseph's for a key Atlantic 10 match for seeding at the Atlantic 10 Championship.
Fordham (6-8-1, 4-3 A10) has already clinched a spot in the Atlantic 10 Championship following its win at VCU last Saturday. With a win against Saint Joseph's, the Rams would secure a top four seed and a home game for the quarterfinal round.
Princeton (8-5, 4-0 Ivy) brings a different challenge for the Rams, as the Tigers are the Ivy League leader with a 4-0 record in conference play. The Tigers are led by Kevin O'Toole, who has a team-best seven goals and six assists, while in net, Jack Roberts has a 0.95 goals against average with four shutouts in 12 contests.
Like Fordham, Saint Joseph's (7-8-1, 5-2 A10) has already clinched a spot in the Atlantic 10 Championship, and currently sit three points ahead of the Rams in the standings. The Hawks have won their last three league contests, led by the trio of Garrett Lyons, James Fletcher, and Omry Perel. Lyons has four goals and four assists on the year, with Fletcher having for goals and three assists. Perel has a team-high five assists to go with three goals.
GAME COVERAGE:
Tuesday – Fordham at Princeton – 8:00 PM –
Live Video (ESPN+) |
Live Stats
Saturday – Saint Joseph's at Fordham – 3:00 PM –
Live Video (ESPN+) |
Live Stats
SERIES HISTORY: On Tuesday, it will be just the second all-time meeting between Fordham and Princeton. The Tigers won the only previous meeting back in 1989 by a 5-1 score.
For Saturday, the Rams and Hawks will renew pleasantries for the 22
nd time, as Fordham holds a 13-6-2 edge in the series. The Rams took home a 2-0 win at Saint Joseph's last spring, as
Luke McNamara and
Matt Sloan each scored in the first half, while
Josh Levine made three saves for the shutout.
SOCIAL MEDIA: Make sure to follow the Fordham Rams all season long on their social media channels on Facebook, Twitter, & Instagram - @FordhamSoccer
LAST TIME OUT: With six of the eight all-time men's soccer meetings between Fordham and VCU finishing as scoreless draws or 1-0 decisions, it was little surprise that Saturday night's showdown was scoreless going into the final minutes.
Galen Flynn
The script then went in favor of Fordham in the 89
th minute, when
Galen Flynn scored the only goal of the match, earning the Maroon and White a 1-0 victory at Sports Backers Stadium in Richmond, Virginia.
The two teams were evenly matched with VCU having a minor edge in overall shots, 12-10, but Fordham had the better of the chances with five shots on frame to VCU's one.
For Fordham, the only chance that mattered came in the 89
th minute, as
Paul Makaj sent a lead pass ahead to
Galen Flynn. Flynn made one move to his left to get around a drawn out VCU goalkeeper John Ermini and tucked a shot into the open net for his third goal of the season.
VCU would get a final chance off a free kick, but the kick was blocked by a wall of Fordham defenders, while a late shot by Celio Pompeu went wide.
Fordham's
Nick Buchholz made one save in the match to earn his first shutout as a Ram, while Ermini had four saves for VCU.
TO THE MAX: As Fordham hits the stretch run of Atlantic 10 play, one Ram,
Max Rogers, has stepped up his play over the last nine contests, totaling three goals and five assists in the span. He netted goals in three straight games and a point in four straight contests, which was highlighted by his performance against Seton Hall, netting two assists and the game-winning goal in overtime, while registering a pair of assists in the Rams' win over George Mason.
WHO'S NEXT: The Rams will await the results of other matches on Saturday to find out where and when they will open play for the Atlantic 10 Championship.
