Men’s Soccer Opens 2021 Season This Week

Bronx, N.Y. – (August 25, 2021) – This week kicks off men's soccer season and the defending Atlantic 10 champion Fordham Rams opens the 2021 season with a BIG EAST challenge, as the squad open the year with road matches at Providence on Thursday and Georgetown on Sunday.
 
Fordham enters a new season after capturing the team's fourth Atlantic 10 crown this past spring and making the NCAA Championship for the fifth time.  The Rams went 7-1-2 in the spring and welcome back the majority of last year's squad.
 
Providence is the Rams' first opponent of the new year.  The Friars finished the spring season at 4-4-1 overall, with a 3-3-1 record in BIG EAST play.
 
A match with Georgetown will conclude the opening week of action.  The 2019 NCAA Champion Hoyas are ranked fifth in the United Soccer Coaches preseason poll and are coming off a 10-2-2 spring season, where the made the NCAA quarterfinals before falling to eventual champion Marshall.
 
GAME COVERAGE:
Thursday – Fordham at Providence – 7:00 PM – Live Video (FLOFC) | Live Stats
 
Sunday – Fordham at Georgetown – 1:00 PM – Live Video (FLOFC) | Live Stats
 
SERIES HISTORY: In the season opener, it will be the third all-time meeting between Fordham and Providence with each team recording a win.  The first meeting was in 1972, a 1-0 Fordham win, while the most recent contest was a 2-0 Providence win in 1993.
 
For the Rams and Hoyas, Sunday will be the fourth all-time meeting between the two Jesuit institutions, which dates back to 1956.  Georgetown is 2-0-1 against Fordham with wins in 1956 and the most recent meeting in 1988.  The lone draw between the teams was in 1972.
 
SOCIAL MEDIA: Make sure to follow the Fordham Rams all season long on their social media channels on Facebook, Twitter, & Instagram - @FordhamSoccer
 
PRESEASON POLLS: The Atlantic 10 Conference released its men's soccer preseason poll and All-Conference Team for the upcoming 2021 season in a vote of the league's coaches.
 
Fordham, the defending Atlantic 10 champion and #23 in the preseason national poll by United Soccer Coaches, was predicted as the top team in the Atlantic 10 with 155 points and six first-place votes.  Saint Louis followed in second at 148 points and three first-place votes, while Dayton was third at 140 points and two first-place votes.

 
Massachusetts was slotted fourth with 124 points with VCU in fifth at 123 points.  VCU also received the final two first-place votes.
 
McNAMARA & SLOAN NAMED PRESEASON ALL-A-10: For the preseason All-Conference Team, the Rams had two players, Luke McNamara and Matt Sloan, named to the 13-player squad.
 
McNamara was a First Team All-Atlantic 10 and First Team All-Southeast Region this past spring, after netting a career-high three goals.  He also was selected to the All-Championship Team, following Fordham's fourth A-10 crown, and helped the Rams finish with a team goals against average of 0.65, which ranked in the top 20 in the NCAA.  He was also a CoSIDA Academic All-District selection.
 
Sloan was also a First Team All-Southeast Region selection by United Soccer Coaches, after leading the Rams in scoring with four goals and nine points this spring.  He saved his best performances for last, scoring in both matches of the Atlantic 10 Championship, which included the game-winning goal in the title match against George Washington.  He received the Championship's Most Outstanding Player Award and was one of six Rams named to the All-Championship Team.
 
WHO'S NEXT: The Rams are in action twice during Labor Day Weekend, as Fordham hosts LIU for its home opener on September 4^th, while traveling to St. John's on September 6^th.