Bronx, N.Y. – (October 31, 2024) – For the first time since 2019, the Fordham women's soccer team is back in the Atlantic 10 Championship, which begins on Friday night at Moglia Stadium. The fourth seeded Rams host the fifth seeded Saint Joseph's Hawks in the quarterfinal round of the Atlantic 10 Championship with kickoff set for 7:00 PM.
Fordham (10-4-4, 5-2-3) makes it 11
th overall appearance at the Atlantic 10 Championship and is in search of its first league title. The Rams have made the Championship final in three of those appearances (2006, 2007, and 2015), but came up short in each of those finals. The team looks to change that narrative as it recorded its first 10-win season since 2016 this year.
Saint Joseph's (8-3-7, 4-1-5) has been a regular participant in the Atlantic 10 Championship, taking part in 11 of the last 13 and reaching the semifinals five times in that span. The Hawks did make the Championship final in 2016, but fell short.
RAMS IN A-10 CHAMPIONSHIP: This is Fordham's 11
th trip to the Atlantic 10 Championship and first since 2019. The Rams are 5-10-2 overall with the two ties turning into advancement in the championship on penalty kicks in both the 2007 and 2015 semifinals. The team has reached the conference championship match three times in 2006, 2007, and 2015, but is still looking for its first Atlantic 10 crown.
SERIES HISTORY: Friday will be the 31
st all-time meeting between Fordham and Saint Joseph's with the Hawks holding a 13-11-6 advantage in the series history. The two squads did not face each other this season, but did in 2023 with Saint Joseph's coming away with a 2-1 win in the Bronx. The teams have also only met once in the Atlantic 10 Championship in the 2018 quarterfinals, which the Hawks took by a 2-0 margin.
LAST TIME OUT (10/24): Trailing 2-1 in the second half, Fordham's
Julia Acosta scored a brilliant goal in the 71
st minute to give the Rams a 2-2 draw against the Dayton Flyers at Moglia Stadium. The draw gave Fordham an all-important point in the Atlantic 10 standings, as coupled with other results around the league, secured the #4 seed for the Rams and a home game in the Atlantic 10 Championship quarterfinals.
The night started out great for the Rams, taking a 1-0 lead in the 36
th minute.
Fernanda Serna got a through ball ahead to
Abby Borchers on the run toward the top of the box. Borchers was able to one-touch around Dayton goalkeeper Batoul Reda and punch home her eighth goal of the season into an empty net.
The Flyers then came out strong in the second half, netting the tying goal in the 49
th minute and a go-ahead goal just nine minutes later. After a bad clearance, Dayton's Laney Smith fired home a hard shot to the lower right corner from 20 yards out for her eighth goal of the season. Then, Liv Grenda found a loose ball in the box off a set piece and tucked home her seventh of the season.
Fordham fought back in the 71
st minute, as
Julia Acosta got wide on the left side. She carried the ball in and darted toward the top of the box, firing a shot that found the top right corner for her ninth goal of the year and a 2-2 score. The match finished as a draw, as Reda recorded three saves for the Flyers, while Fordham's
Kyla King was credited with five saves.
ACOSTA NAMED A-10 CO-ROOKIE OF THE WEEK (10/28): The Atlantic 10 Conference released its final weekly women's soccer awards on Monday with Fordham freshman
Julia Acosta earning Co-Rookie of the Week honors. It is her second career weekly award of the season, having also earned the accolade on September 9
th.
In her lone contest, Acosta scored the game-tying goal in a 2-2 draw with Dayton on Thursday. The tie earned a point for the Rams in the conference standings, securing the #4 seed and a home quarterfinal match in the Atlantic 10 Championship. Acosta finished the regular season with nine goals and three assists for 21 points, which tied for fourth in the league in goals and sixth in points.
10 DUBS: With the team win at St. Bonaventure, the Rams reached the 10-win plateau for the eighth time in program history and first time since 2016.
MOVIN' ON UP: The team success on the field has also seen the 2024 Rams climb into some of the program's all-time best marks. The Rams have 36 team assists, which is the second-best mark in team history, while having 35 goals (5
th) and 106 points (T-3
rd).
Fordham also ranks in the top three in the Atlantic 10 in all three categories, leading the league in assists, while being third in points and goals. The Rams are also in the top 50 in the NCAA in those categories (29
th – assists, 34
th – points, 44
th – goals).
THREE MUSKETEERS: Fordham's trio of graduate student
Abby Borchers and freshmen
Julia Acosta and
Liina Tervo have had an incredible 2024 season, and rate as one of the top scoring trios in program history. In total, the group has racked up 27 goals, 14 assists, and 68 points. Only the 2006 trio of Katie Sanchez, Leah Jerome and Haley Lentsch have scored more, accounting for 30 goals, 19 assists, and 79 points. The only other trios to reach 60 total points were Denise Corrado, Danielle Tanzi, and Christine Geres in 1996 (26-9-61) and Sarah Hopkins, Corey Dunfey, and Beth Purcell in 2003 (21-18-60).
TOP DRAWER SOCCER RECOGNITION: Top Drawer Soccer released its Midseason Top 100 Freshman List 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 86
th in the October 30
th report. Currently, five 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 28 points on 10 goals and eight assists. Her eight assists have tied the Rams' single season record, held by Corey Dunfey (2003) and Haley Lentsch (2006), while her 28 points have set the Fordham freshman record which was held by Sarah Hopkins (2003) and Kristina Maksuti (2011). She is also the ninth Ram to reach double figures in goals, tying the freshman record of 10, set by Hopkins (2003).
Acosta has earned Atlantic 10 Rookie of the Week twice as well this season and leads the conference in shots on goal (39), while being tied for fourth in goals (9) and sixth in points (21).
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 save percentage (.792), 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.
WHO'S NEXT: If the Rams advance past the Hawks, the Atlantic 10 Championship semifinals is set for Wednesday, November 6
th at the campuses of the highest seeded teams.
