Bronx, N.Y. – (October 2, 2024) – Week three of the Atlantic 10 women's soccer action is upon us and the Fordham Rams are in action twice this week. Fordham starts the week at home on Thursday night against Duquesne for the team's Breast Cancer Awareness game, while Sunday will see a visit to Davidson.
Fordham sits at 7-3-2 overall, 2-1-1 in the Atlantic 10 after splitting their matches with Massachusetts and Richmond last week. The Rams continue to be near the top end of the Atlantic 10 in scoring, averaging 1.91 goals per game which is fourth in the league, while their 23 goals are tied for third.
Liina Tervo has been at the center of the offense, leading the Atlantic 10 in points (23) and assists (7), while being tied for second in goals (7).
Duquesne has also been one of the top offenses in the conference this season, ranking second in the league in goals (28) and goals per game (2.55). The Dukes are 7-3 on the season with a 2-2 mark in the Atlantic 10 and have three players in the top ten scoring leaders in the league. Margey Brown is third in points (20) with Brianna Moore in fourth (18), and Mackenzie Muir in seventh (14).
Davidson enters the week at 5-5-2 overall, 1-3 in the conference and will match up with St. Bonaventure on Thursday before seeing the Rams on Sunday. The Wildcats earned their first league win on Sunday with a 2-0 win over Saint Joseph's. Maddie Moody has been their go-to scorer with a team-best six goals and three game-winning goals.
SERIES HISTORY: The Rams and Dukes renew acquaintances for the first time since 2018 and have only met three times in the last ten years. Overall, Fordham holds a 9-8-3 marks against Duquesne, but the Dukes have won the last three meetings with the most important one coming in the 2015 Atlantic 10 Championship match. Fordham's last win over the Dukes was in 2013.
For Sunday, the Rams have gotten the better of Davidson on a regular basis since the Wildcats joined the Atlantic 10. Fordham is 6-1-1 against Davidson, which includes a 1-0 win last season at Moglia Stadium on a
Lena Johnsen gol in the 89
th minute.
LAST TIME OUT (9/29): Liina Tervo's goal in the eighth minute of action proved to be the difference maker, as the Fordham Rams picked up a 1-0 road victory over the Richmond Spiders at President's Field in Richmond.
The only goal of the game came in the eighth minute. Fordham's
Julia Acosta was on the run toward the left side of the box and played a cross to the top of the six-yard box.
Liina Tervo was right there for the tap-in marker for her team-leading eighth goal of the season.
Fordham controlled the play for most of the game, posting a 21-7 shot advantage and recording 11 corner kicks to none for the Spiders.
Fordham goalkeeper
Addison Green registered two saves for her fourth shutout of the year, while Richmond's McKenna Dalfonso was credited with ten saves.
CRACKIN' 100: For the first time since 2016, Fordham women's soccer is in the top 100 RPI in the NCAA, coming in at 88
th in the October 1
st report. Currently, six Atlantic 10 teams are in the NCAA Top 100 RPI.
FIRST YEARS TAKING CHARGE: Twelve matches into the 2024 season, three Fordham 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 23 points on eight 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 23 points have tied the Fordham freshman record 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 (23), while being tied for ninth in goals (5) and eighth in points (13). 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 7-0-2 record in nine starts in goal with a 0.89 goals against average, 26 saves, and four shutouts. She ranks fifth in the Atlantic 10 in goals against average, tenth in saves, and tied for fourth 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 43 games for the Rams, making 22 starts. Lucas has one goal and seven assists at Fordham with three of those assists coming this season.
WHO'S NEXT: After this week's matches, Fordham will next be in action on Sunday, October 13
th, when the Rams host Rhode Island for Senior Day at Moglia Stadium.
