BRONX, N.Y. – The 24th ranked Fordham men's soccer team will return to action on Tuesday night when it hosts the No. 16 Hofstra Pride for a battle of rankled sides at Moglia Stadium.
Kick-off is set for 7 p.m. on MSG and ESPN+. James Birle and Mike Smolens will have the call from the Bronx.
Following back-to-back home wins over Davidson and Saint Joseph's, the Rams suffered a 1-0 road defeat at the hands of URI on Saturday night in Kingston. The result was not without controversy, as a Louis Lehr header appeared to cross the goal line and tie the game at one in the 70th minute following a Fordham corner kick. The official, however, never signaled a goal, keeping Rhode Island in front.
Fordham (6-2-3, 3-2-0 Atlantic 10) dominated nearly every facet of the match, outshooting the host Rams by a 17-5 margin, including a 6-1 edge in shots on goal.
Despite the loss, Fordham still boasts a strong RPI, checking in at no. 21 in Monday's release of the NCAA rankings. The Rams sat at no. 10 in the RPI a week ago. The United Soccer Coaches Top 25 will issue a new edition approximately three hours before Tuesday night's kickoff. The Rams (9 points) are tied for third in the A-10 standings behind Saint Louis (13) and Davidson (12).
The dynamic German duo of Florian Deletioglu and Timo Hummrich leads the Rams with six goals apiece on the season after both finding the back of the net in Wednesday's 2-1 win over Saint Joe's. Deletioglu, a senior, and Hummrich, a grad student, are tied for third in the A-10 in that category.
Hofstra will head to the Bronx sporting a record 9-1-3, including an unbeaten 3-0-2 mark in CAA play.
The Pride is led by senior forward Ryan Carmichael, who has scored 10 goals in 13 games so far this season, a total that ranks third in the nation. Junior midfielder Eliot Goldthorp has scored six times, including an 86th minute game-winner on Saturday night against Monmouth.
Senior goalkeeper Wessel Speel has conceded just eight goals in 13 starts, good for a 0.62 goals against average and an .826 save percentage.
Fordham and Hofstra will face off on Tuesday night for the 19th time since 1984. The Pride owns a 10-5-3 all-time advantage over the Rams.
The teams last met in the 2022 season-opener, a 2-1 Hofstra win that saw the Pride score the game-winner with just one second remaining in the contest.
