BRONX, N.Y. – The Fordham men's soccer team will open the league portion of its 2023 schedule on Saturday afternoon when it plays host to the Bonnies of St. Bonaventure. Kick-off is set for 3 p.m.
The contest will air on both ESPN+ and MSG Network with Nick Guzman and Mike Smolens on the call from Moglia Stadium at Jack Coffey Field.
Fordham will begin conference play with an unbeaten record, having gone 2-0-3 in its opening five matches. The Rams were leading in a sixth, holding a 1-0 edge over UMBC on Sept. 8 before lightning forced the cancelation of the match in the 20
th minute.
Bolsted by a dramatic 3-3 draw with reigning BIG EAST Regular Season Champion Georgetown on the road in D.C., Fordham is starting to draw national attention. In Tuesday's most recent edition of the United Soccer Coaches poll, the Rams received three votes, marking the first time since the fall of 2021 that Fordham has garnered such recognition. That year, Fordham checked in at no. 23 in the preseason rankings after going undefeated on its way to an Atlantic 10 title the previous spring.
In their most recent outing, the Rams played Loyola Maryland to an abbreviated 1-1 draw on Monday afternoon at Moglia Stadium. After a scoreless first half, the Greyhounds jumped ahead 1-0 in the 49
th minute before
Nathan Simes equalized 10 minutes later, burying a rebound after an initial save on a
Grady Kozak shot. In the 71
st minute, lightning forced the game's premature conclusion, but the result was considered official since the match crossed the 70-minute mark.
Carter Abbott started between the pipes for Fordham against Loyola, making a season-high six saves in only 70-plus minutes of action. On the year, Abbott boasts a 0.92 goals against average to go along with an .833 save percentage, the former of which ranks fourth and the latter of which ranks second in the conference.
St. Bonaventure (2-2-1) will make the trek south after taking down Niagara, 3-1, on Wednesday night at home. Tied 1-1 at the intermission, the Bonnies scored twice in the opening minutes of the second half to secure their second victory of the season. On the evening, shots were 18-8 in favor of St. Bonaventure.
Andres Javitt is the Bonnies' leading goal scorer so far this season, having found the back of the net three times in the team's last four games. Last fall at Montgomery College, Javitt led NJCAA Division I in goals (21) and ranked second in assists (17).
Jules Dechert has seen a majority of the team's action in goal, going 1-2-1 with a shutout and a 1.91 goals against average.
After taking on the Bonnies, the Rams' will head to Riverdale to face off against Manhattan in the annual Battle of The Bronx on Tuesday night at 6 p.m.
