BRONX, N.Y. – In the midst of a stellar season that has propelled Fordham into the semifinals of the Atlantic 10 Men's Soccer Championship, junior captain
Daniel D'Ippolito has been named the Atlantic 10 Midfielder of the Year, it was announced this morning by the conference office.
The Baldwin Place, N.Y., native becomes the first Fordham men's soccer player to earn an Atlantic 10 major award since Joergen Oland won the second of back-to-back Defensive Player of the Year Awards in 2019. D'Ippolito is the 10
th Fordham player since 1998 to take home a major conference award and just the second to earn midfielder of the year honors, joining Tim Richardson (2009).
In addition to being named the conference's top midfielder, D'Ippolito also earned spots on the All-Atlantic 10 First Team and the Atlantic 10 All-Academic Team.
Graduate student
Benji Jones, the only Fordham player to start all 17 games, also earned a spot on the Atlantic 10 All-Academic Team.
In 17 appearances so far this season, D'Ippolito has scored 13 goals and dished out seven assists. His 33 points are tied for the third highest total in Division I while his 13 goals are tied for seventh. His seven assists also rank inside the top 50 nationally, as he is currently tied for 41
st in that category.
His 13 goals are the most by a Fordham player since 1998 when John Wolyniec scored a school-record 25 times. D'Ippolito's 13 goals are currently tied for 10
th on the school's single-season record list in that category while his seven assists are tied for ninth.
In the Rams' 3-0 win over Duquesne in the Atlantic 10 Quarterfinals on Saturday night, D'Ippolito recorded all three of Fordham's goals. It marked his second hat trick of the season, as he also scored three times in the Rams' 4-0 win over Santa Clara on Sept. 5. D'Ippolito is the first Fordham player in more than four decades to record three hat tricks in a single season, as John Shannon last accomplished the feat in 1982.
As a sophomore in 2023, D'Ippolito earned a spot on the All-Atlantic 10 Second Team after logging four goals and three assists for 11 points.
Jones, a graduate transfer from Adelphi, has made an immediate impact in his first season with the Rams. The Bristol, England, native has started all 17 matches for the Rams, registering a pair of assists in the process. A versatile talent who can play in both the midfield and on the backline, Jones has been a key part of the Fordham defensive unit that has logged five shutouts on the season and allowed just 1.24 goals per game.
Pursuing a graduate degree in media management, Jones boasts a 3.90 GPA. D'Ippolito, a junior pursuing a degree in applied accounting and finance, owns a 3.73 GPA.
The Rams will return to action tonight in the Atlantic 10 Semifinals at Dayton. Kick-off between Fordham and the fifth-ranked Flyers is set for 7 p.m. on ESPN+.
FIRST TEAM
Forwards
Andrew Armstrong, Dayton
Martin Bakken, Dayton
Maxi Hopfer, Duquesne
Alec Hughes, Massachusetts
Midfielders
Joseph Melto Quiah, Dayton
Daniel D'Ippolito, Fordham
Seth Anderson, Saint Louis
Defenders
Hjalti Sigurdsson, Dayton
Aidan Kelly, Massachusetts
Max Floriani, Saint Louis
Goalkeeper
Jeremi Abonnel, Saint Louis
SECOND TEAM
Forwards
Quentin Clain, George Mason
Marek Gonda, George Mason
Luis Lara, Saint Louis
Midfielders
Miles Bonham, Dayton
Braden Seel, Dayton
James Eliuda, George Mason
Defenders
Luis Maestre, George Mason
Javi Sanchez, George Mason
Julian Cisneros, Loyola Chicago
Joey Maher, Saint Louis
Goalkeeper
Zoltan Nagy, Duquesne
ALL-ROOKIE TEAM
Brady McGlone, Davidson
Andrew Armstrong, Dayton
Luis Bremaud, Dayton
Bendix Bennetzen, Duquesne
Martim Sereno, George Mason
Louis Crofts, George Washington
Luka Ivancic, Loyola Chicago
Hugo Urdiales, Loyola Chicago
Lucas Lukkegaard, Rhode Island
Drake Fornier, Saint Louis
Gershon Henry, Saint Louis
Mohammed Ibrahim, VCU
ALL-ACADEMIC TEAM
Martin Bakken, Dayton
Hjalti Sigurdsson, Dayton
Jaxon Ervin, Duquesne
Maxi Hopfer, Duquesne
Daniel D'Ippolito, Fordham
Benji Jones, Fordham
William Turner, George Washington
Drew Blackwell, La Salle
Mike Willis, Massachusetts
Íñigo Etxegarai, Rhode Island
Luis Lara, Saint Louis
