WASHINGTON (Sept. 4, 2023) – Facing a 3-0 deficit against reigning BIG EAST Champion Georgetown early in the second half, the Fordham men's soccer team flipped the field and rallied furiously to score three times in the final 39 minutes and leave Shaw Field with a 3-3 tie.
With the draw, Fordham remained unbeaten, moving to 2-0-2 on the young season. Georgetown, the 2019 national champion which was coming off a 4-1 win over No. 8 Pittsburgh on Friday, fell to 2-1-1.
Andre Insalaco and
Timo Hummrich each recorded a goal and an assist during Monday's match.
Daniel D'Ippolito added the Rams' third and final goal, which pulled Fordham even with just 10 seconds remaining in the contest.
Kai Griese,
Florian Deletioglu and
Jed Dixon also posted assists for the Rams.
Alex Dolce started his second straight game between the pipes, making four first-half saves before
Carter Abbott entered for the final 45 minutes. The Wisconsin transfer stopped three shots on his way to the decision. Fordham was also credited with two team saves on the afternoon.
After being outchanced 12-5 in the opening half, Fordham logged an 11-8 shot advantage over the final 45 minutes, including a 6-2 edge in the final 22 minutes of play.
Despite Georgetown controlling possession for a vast majority of the opening half, it was Fordham who recorded the game's first legitimate scoring chance, as Griese narrowly missed the right-side post in the third minute of action.
After Georgetown jumped ahead 1-0 on a Maximus Jennings goal in the 27
th minute, D'Ippolito nearly pulled the Rams even just over a minute later, as he took possession of a mistouch by a Georgetown defender and nearly buried a try from 50 yards out. His chance missed the crossbar by mere inches.
Dixon kept the Rams within one with a terrific effort to clear in the line in the 31
st, but Georgetown extended its lead in the 40
th, as Cole Parete made it 2-0 Hoyas.
Georgetown's Zach Zengue scored the Hoyas' third goal of the afternoon in the 50
th minute.
The Hoyas' semmingly insurmountable three-goal lead was shortlived; however, as Insalaco, who entered the game at halftime, headed home a Hummrich cross from the left flank just over one minute later.
Less than seven minutes later, the Rams pulled within one. Like the first goal, this sequence also began on the left side, as Griese crossed one in that found the foot of Insalaco. With his back to the goal, Insalaco looped the ball over his shoulder toward Hummrich, who finished with a left-footed blast to the near side and made it a 3-2 game.
Fordham had two great looks at an equalizer in the 69
th and 71
st minutes, the first off a Hummrich free kick and the second from D'Ippolito in the box. On the latter attempt, D'Ippolito sent a try toward a wide-open net before Jennings of Georgetown came leaping into the play to head the ball over the bar and keep the Hoyas ahead.
Lehr sent a ball just wide in the 89
th in what looked like it would likely be the Rams' last chance of the afternoon. Fordham, however, had one last push. With 15 seconds left on the clock, Dixon sent a ball into the box from distance that found its way to D'Ippolito just shy of the six-yard box. The sophomore headed it down into the lower-right hand corner of the cage past the outstretched arms of the keeper, compelting the improbable comeback and securing a draw for the visitors.
The Rams will next be in action on Friday when they travel to UMBC for a 7 p.m. contest with the Retrievers. That contest will be streamed on ESPN+.
