Bronx, N.Y. – (September 25, 2021) – George Washington's Justin Grady was able to knock away the potential game-tying goal by
Max Rogers with just seconds left in regulation to get the 2-1 win over the Fordham Rams at Jack Coffey Field on Saturday afternoon.
With the loss, Fordham falls to 2-6-1, 1-1 in the Atlantic 10, while George Washington improved to 3-5-1 overall, 1-1 in the league.
Offensive opportunities were few and far between in the first half, but each team was able find the back of the net once for a 1-1 tie by halftime.
In the 41
st minute, George Washington struck first off a long kick by goalkeeper Justin Grady. Grady's long ball was flicked ahead by the head of Oscar Haynes Brown to Tom Cooklin, who was able to chip a shot past Fordham keeper
Callum James for his first of the season.
The Rams responded quickly in the 44
th minute, as Fordham was awarded a penalty kick for a handball in the box by George Washington.
Max Rogers then blasted home the penalty kick for his second goal of the season to knot the game at one.
The second half saw the Colonials get the go-ahead goal in the 71
st minute off a Cooklin corner kick that found Aaron Kronenberg at the back post, who tapped the ball inside the right post for his second of the year.
Galen Flynn
Fordham had opportunities for the equalizer on shots by
Galen Flynn in the 73
rd minute and
Florian Deletioglu in the 75
th minute, but Grady made saves on both chances, leading to a frantic finish.
Starting in the 84
th minute, Flynn got loose on a long ball by
Sebastian Fabrin for a breakaway and was taken down by the Colonials' Hrolfurl Sveinsson just outside the box. Sveinsson was red carded from the game, as George Washington would play down a player for the remaining time. Rogers took the ensuing shot from the top of the box but missed to the right of goal.
The 87
th minute saw another free kick for the Rams from 20 yards off the boot of
Matt Sloan, but once again the shot sailed wide.
One final chance for the Rams came with just 17 seconds left in regulation, as Fordham was fouled again, just outside the box. This time, Rogers got the shot on frame, but Grady made the save to the right post to close out the 2-1 decision.
Grady finished with five saves in the match, four of which came in the second half, while James had one save for the Rams.
Fordham will next be in action on Tuesday, September 28
th, as the Rams host Seton Hall for a 7:00 PM match on Jack Coffey Field.
