Bronx, N.Y. – (October 12, 2024) – After a break in the schedule, the Fordham women's soccer team is back on the pitch on Sunday afternoon for Senior Day, as the Rams host the Rhode Island Rams in another crucial Atlantic 10 match at Moglia Stadium.
Fordham (8-3-3, 3-1-2 A10) enters Sunday's action in a tie for third place in the league standings with Saint Louis at 11 points, trailing UMass (13) and Dayton (12). The Maroon and White will look to protect their home turf and 4-0-1 home record as they will honor their six seniors,
Abby Doyle,
Carmen Hardwick,
Ryann Lucas,
Tristan McFarlane,
Fernanda Serna, and
Madison Soucey, and one graduate student,
Abby Borchers, prior to the match.
Rhode Island is 5-6-2 overall in 2024 with a 2-3-0 league record. Most recently, Rhode Island came up short in a 1-0 loss at Dayton last Sunday, but previously posted a 6-0 win over Richmond. Lauren McDonald leads the offense with four goals and nine points, while Sam Hagerty has a team-best five assists.
SERIES HISTORY: This will be the 28
th edition of the Battle of the Rams between Fordham and Rhode Island. Fordham holds a 13-10-4 mark against Rhode Island with the teams playing to a 2-2 draw last year in Kingston. Fordham's last win came in 2022, while Rhode Island's came in 2021.
LAST TIME OUT (10/6): The Fordham women's soccer team rallied from a goal down and got excellent play from their goalkeeper
Addison Green to come away with a 1-1 draw against the Davidson Wildcats at Alumni Stadium in Davidson, N.C.
The Wildcats netted the opening goal of the contest in the 25
th minute, when Dakota Lyons stole a ball from the Fordham defense, drove to the left side of the box, and slotted a shot inside the right post four her fourth goal of the season.
Lyons almost had her second of the game in the 63
rd minute with a shot to the upper right corner, but Fordham goalkeeper
Addison Green was able to get a hand on the ball and knock it out of play. Just two minutes later, another chance for the Wildcats to extend their lead happened with a long ball into the box that Charlotte Hansen deflected, but Green was in the right position to keep Davidson at bay.
Fordham then knotted the game at one in the 70
th minute.
Lena Johnsen took a free kick straight into the box. The ball bounced off two players with
Liina Tervo picking it up and scoring from 10 yards out for her team-leading ninth of the season.
Both teams stayed aggressive to get the go-ahead goal with the final chance in the 88
th minute. A cross to the center of the box to Davidson's Kialie Hudson for a shot looked like the winner, but Green was able to make the save and push the ball away from goal leaving the match as a 1-1 draw. Green was credited with a season-high eight saves, while Smith registered seven stops.
TOP DRAWER SOCCER RECOGNITION: Top Drawer Soccer released its Midseason Top 100 Freshman List this week with Fordham's
Liina Tervo and
Julia Acosta among the top 100. Tervo was rated 22
nd with Acosta at 47.
CRACKIN' 100: For the first time since 2016, Fordham women's soccer is in the top 100 RPI in the NCAA, coming in at 68
th in the October 10
th report. Currently, six Atlantic 10 teams are in the NCAA Top 100 RPI.
FIRST YEARS TAKING CHARGE: Fordham's trio of freshmen,
Liina Tervo,
Julia Acosta, and
Addison Green are already making their mark and ready to etch their name in the Fordham record book.
A two-time Atlantic 10 Rookie of the Week, Tervo is currently the Atlantic 10's and Rams' leading scorer with 25 points on nine goals and seven assists. Her seven assists are just one shy of the Rams' single season record of eight, held by Corey Dunfey (2003) and Haley Lentsch (2006), while her 25 points have set the Fordham freshman record which was held by Sarah Hopkins (2003) and Kristina Maksuti (2011).
Acosta has earned Atlantic 10 Rookie of the Week once this season and second in the conference in shots on goal (29), while being tied for eighth in goals (6) and eighth in points (15). Both Acosta and Tervo are chasing the Fordham freshman records for goals in a season, held by Hopkins with 10 in 2003.
Green has a 8-0-3 record in 11 starts in goal with a 0.91 goals against average, 38 saves, and four shutouts. She ranks fourth in the Atlantic 10 in goals against average, fourth in saves, and tied for fifth in shutouts. She has already surpassed the most wins for a freshman keeper at Fordham and tied the mark for shutouts. She is chasing Shannon Misiaszek's freshman marks of 1.40 GAA, 95 saves, and four shutouts, set in 2000.
ADDING A "C": Senior forward
Ryann Lucas has garnered the moniker of a team captain for the remainder of the season, joining junior
Ella Guth and senior
Abby Doyle as team captains. A former Atlantic 10 All-Rookie Team selection and a two-year member of the Atlantic 10 Commissioner's Honor Roll, she has appeared in 45 games for the Rams, making 24 starts. Lucas registered her first career two-goal game this season against Duquesne and has three assists for seven points.
WHO'S NEXT: After today's matches, Fordham will next be in action twice next week. The Rams host George Washington on Thursday, October 17
th at 7:00 PM at Moglia Stadium, while traveling to St. Bonaventure on Sunday, October 20
th.
