BRONX, N.Y. – The Fordham men's soccer team will host its non-conference finale on Tuesday night when it welcomes Princeton to the Bronx for a 7 p.m. kick-off on ESPN+.
Fordham (6-3-4, 3-1-2) will look to remain unbeaten in the month of October when it hosts the Tigers (6-5-0, 3-1-0). The Rams extended their unbeaten streak to four matches (3-0-1) this past Saturday with a 3-1 home win over George Washington. That streak has launched the Rams into fourth place in the Atlantic 10 standings with just two league matches remaining. The top eight teams in the final conference ledger will qualify for the Atlantic 10 Men's Soccer Championship with the top four squads hosting quarterfinal matches.
This past Saturday against the Revolutionaries, graduate student Lukas Hackaa recorded his third Division I brace, propelling the Rams to a crucial A-10 win. Hackaa opened the scoring in the 49th minute with free-kick goal from 20 yards out before adding an insurance marker in the 89th minute. His second goal also came from distance, as he bent a shot into the near-side upper 90 from 30 yards out. Last season at IUPUI, Hackaa registered a pair of braces on his way to Horizon League Player of the Year honors.
Daniel D'Ippolito scored the Rams' other goal on Saturday night, an 80th minute game-winner on a penalty kick rebound. Andre Insalaco drew the foul to set up the opportunity.
D'Ippolito found the back of the net for the ninth time in just 13 games this season, a total that ranks second in the Atlantic 10. His nine goals are the most by a Fordham player since Jannik Loebe scored nine times in 23 games during the Rams' run to the 2017 NCAA Quarterfinals. The last Fordham player to log double-digit goals in a season was Brian Borrhello (11) in 2002.
D'Ippolito has also assisted on six goals this season for a league-high 24 points.
Princeton also enters the contest on the heels of a win, having taken down Columbia, 2-1, on Saturday afternoon in Upper Manhattan. The Tigers currently sit second in the Ivy League standings, trailing only No. 12 Penn at 4-0.
The Tigers are led offensively by Daniel Ittycheria, whose five goals in 11 games are tied for fifth in the Ivy League.
Sophomore goalkeeper Andrew Samuels has started each of the past two games in goal. On the season, Samuels boasts a 0.80 goals against average and a .750 save percentage.
Fordham and Princeton will meet for the fourth straight season and the fifth time overall in the history of the two programs. The Rams have yet to claim victory in the series, entering the match with an 0-3-1 record against the Tigers. Last year, Grady Kozak scored in the 88th minute to pull the Rams even in an eventual 2-2 tie.
