Fordham Falls to VCU, 1-0, in Atlantic 10 Quarterfinals

RICHMOND, Va. – The Fordham men's soccer team fell to top-seeded VCU, 1-0, in the quarterfinals of the Atlantic 10 Championship on Saturday night at Sport Backers Stadium.
 
The Rams nearly equalized in the closing seconds of the game.  Florian Deletioglu sent a try toward the cage that appeared to hit off the outstretched arm of a VCU in the box, but no call was made.  Off the rebound, Liam Salmon sent another try on target, but it came after the final whistle.
 
The two teams remained scoreless well into the second half before Damian Gallegos broke the deadlock in the 75^th minute.
 
On the game, VCU outshot Fordham, 12-9, including a 5-4 edge in shots on goal.  Carter Abbott made four saves for the Rams.  Fordham earned five corners to VCU's four.
 
Daniel D'Ippolito took a team-high three shots.  Timo Hummrich and Shizu Yohena logged two shots apiece.
 
The visiting Rams recorded two legitimate scoring chances in the opening minutes of the contest.  In the fifth minute, Deletioglu picked off a pass in the box, but his close-distance try was turned aside by John Ermini.  Ermini saved another Fordham shot in the 11^th minute, as D'Ippolito unloaded on a ball from just outside the box that the redshirt junior grabbed.
 
Holding an early 3-1 edge in shots at the 15-minute mark, Fordham saw VCU outshoot the visiting Rams, 6-1, over the remainder of the opening half. 
 
Shots were even, 5-5, in the latter stanza.