Bronx, N.Y. – (November 11, 2021) – For the third consecutive year, the Fordham men's soccer team is in the semifinals of the Atlantic 10 Championship following the team's 2-1 double overtime win over VCU on Saturday.  That win put Fordham (7-9-2) in a semifinal match with the top seeded Saint Louis Billikens on Friday at Hermann Stadium in St. Louis, Missouri.
 
Similar to the VCU match, this will be a re-match from earlier in the season, as the Billikens defeated the Rams, 2-0, back on October 2nd.
 
Saint Louis (13-0-3) is currently ranked eighth in the country in the United Soccer Coaches poll and boasts one of the top offenses with 41 goals scored in 16 games and having 14 different players with at least one goal.  Simon Beecher, the Atlantic 10 Offensive Player of the Year leads the Billikens in scoring with 11 goals and eight assists.  The team is also strong defensively with eight shutouts, led by Defensive Player of the Year, Kip Keller.
 
GAME COVERAGE:
Friday – Fordham at Saint Louis – 1:00 PM – Game Notes | Live Video (ESPN+) | International Feed | Live Stats
 
SERIES HISTORY: This will be the 15th all-time meeting between Fordham and Saint Louis.  The Billikens hold an 8-6 series lead, but it's Fordham with the edge in games played at the Atlantic 10 Championship, as Fordham is 3-1 against the Billikens, and have ended Saint Louis' season in each of the last two years.  The Rams won 2-1 in last year's A-10 semifinals, while taking a 1-0 win at the 2019 A-10 quarterfinals.
 
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: Fordham's Florian Deletioglu deflected a cross from Max Rogers just inside the right post to push the Fordham Rams past the VCU Rams, 2-1, in double overtime at Jack Coffey Field in the Atlantic 10 Men's Soccer Championship quarterfinals on Saturday night.
 
The scoring in the match started with a fortunate bounce for Fordham in the 26th minute.  Max Rogers crossed a ball into the box, that defected off VCU defender Simon Fitch for an own goal and a 1-0 Fordham lead.
 
The score remained that way to halftime, but VCU found the equalizer, early in the second half.  After a corner kick was deflected out to the top of the box in the 49th minute, VCU's Damian Gallegos fired a shot that went off his teammate Jared Valdes and went into the net, giving Valdes his first goal of the season.
 
Fordham almost regained the lead on two occasions later in the half, as Sameer Fathazada rocketed two shots toward goal with one going off the right post in the 53rd minute and off the cross bar in the 61st minute.
 
The match would go into overtime tied at one with no one finding the game-winning marker in the first ten-minute session.  Fordham though would get that game-winning marker in the 101st minute to end the game.  Matt Sloan put a long throw-in into the box, which Luke McNamara was able to slide to Rogers on the left side of the box.  Rogers played the ball in, which Florian Deletioglu got his foot on and deflected inside the right post for the game-winning tally.  It was Deletioglu's fourth goal of the season, tying for the team lead.
 
In net, Nick Buchholz registered two saves, while Mario Sequeira had four stops for VCU.  McNamara was also credited with a defender save in the first half.
 
FORDHAM at A-10's: This is Fordham's 15^th overall appearance at the Atlantic 10 Championship, posting a 12-8-3 record with four conference championships (1996, 2014, 2016, 2020-21).
 
WHO'S NEXT: With a win on Friday, Fordham advances to the Atlantic 10 Championship final on November 14^th against either Duquesne or Rhode Island at 1:00 PM Eastern at Hermann Stadium.