Bronx, N.Y. – (August 16, 2023) – The 2023 women's soccer season begins this week, and the Fordham Rams are ready to hit the pitch to begin their 31
st season of varsity play. On opening night, the Rams head to Philadelphia on Thursday for a road match at Drexel, while Sunday will see Fordham have its home opener against Wagner.
Fordham opens the year with a challenge in the Drexel Dragons, who were 11-3-5 a year ago and reached the CAA Championship semifinals. The Dragons were picked fifth in the CAA preseason coaches' poll and saw two players, Delaney Lappin and Annalena O'Reilly, earn preseason All-CAA honors and were listed on United Soccer Coaches Players to Watch List for the 2023 season.
On Sunday, the Rams welcome Wagner to the Bronx for game two of the season. Wagner opens their campaign with Rider on Thursday after being picked to finish sixth in the Northeast Conference. The Seahawks were 4-12-1 a year ago. That game is scheduled to be broadcast on MSG Network as well as on ESPN+.
GAME COVERAGE:
Thursday – Fordham at Drexel – 7:00 PM –
Live Video (FloSports) |
Live Stats | Follow on the team on Facebook/Twitter/Instagram - @FordhamWoSoc
Sunday – Wagner at Fordham – 3:00 PM –
Live Video (MSG Network/ESPN+) |
International Feed |
Live Stats | Follow on the team on Facebook/Twitter/Instagram - @FordhamWoSoc
SERIES HISTORY: This will be the first-ever meeting between Fordham and Drexel.
For Sunday, it will be the 11th all-time meeting for Fordham and Wagner with the Rams holding an 9-0-1 all-time mark against the Seahawks. The teams met last year on Staten Island, where Fordham won the game a 2-1 win behind goals from
Caroline Monahan and
Carmen Hardwick.
SEASON OPENERS: In season opening matches, Fordham has had a mixed bag of results, posting an 11-16-3 mark. The Rams fell to Stony Brook, 2-1, in the 2022 opener and are looking for their first season-opening win since 2017.
TEAM CAPTAINS: The Fordham women's soccer team announced that seniors
Cambrie Arboreen and
Olivia Redden and junior
Abby Doyle will serve as the team's captains for the 2023 seasons.
This is the second straight season that Arboreen will wear the captain's armband, after doing so a year ago. A three-year member of the Atlantic 10 Commissioner's Honor Roll, she found the scoresheet for the first time in her career in 2022, netting a goal in Fordham's win over Rhode Island.
Redden has been a staple on the Rams' backline since joining the team in 2020. She has started 30 of the 32 games she has appeared in over her first three seasons, playing almost 2,600 minutes to go with a pair of assists. A three-year member of the Atlantic 10 Commissioner's Honor Roll, she set career-highs in games played (15), games started (14), and minutes played (1,166).
Doyle had an immediate impact on the Rams' midfield in 2022, after transferring from Army West Point. She was one of three Rams to start all 17 games last season, playing a team-high 1,489 minutes. She was also selected as the team's MVP after netting a goal and an assist, while being named to the Atlantic 10 Commissioner's Honor Roll.
PRESEASON POLL: The Atlantic 10 Conference released its preseason coaches' poll on August 14
th, where Fordham finished ninth in the poll. The Rams look to crack the top eight and secure a spot in the Atlantic 10 Championship for the first time since 2019.
PRESEASON ACTION: Fordham played two exhibition matches this fall, playing to a 1-1 draw with Hofstra, while falling to Sacred Heart by a 1-0 count in a game that was shortened due to lightning.
FOREIGN IMPORTS: The Rams have spread their recruiting across the globe with four internationals on the team in 2023, representing Canada (
Tristan McFarlane), Sweden (
Ellen Schedin,
Sarah Berkling), and Belgium (
Marie Degroote). Fordham also has international experience with
Serena Mensah, who played with the Jamaican National Team at the 2022 Concacaf U-20 Championship.
RETURNING SCORERS: Fordham returns two of its top five scorers from last season in junior Ryan Lucas and graduate student
Caroline Monahan. Lucas, a member of the 2022 Atlantic 10 All-Rookie Team, posted a goal and four assists for six points, while Monahan notched a pair of goals to go with an assist. Overall, seven returnees on this year's team netted at least one goal last year.
WHO'S NEXT: The Rams are next in action on Thursday, August 24
th, as the Rams host Stonehill at 4:00 PM in the Bronx, as the first half of a soccer doubleheader.
