Bronx, N.Y. – (August 14, 2024) – The 2024 women's soccer season begins this week, and the Fordham Rams are ready to hit the pitch to begin their 32
nd season of varsity play. On opening night, the Rams start a three-match homestand beginning with the Manhattan Jaspers at Moglia Stadium for the Battle of the Bronx.
Both Fordham and Manhattan look to improve on a 2023 season, where both teams registered four wins on the year. Fordham head coach
Magnus Nilerud starts his third season at Rose Hill and brings a roster mixed with veterans and new talent that is ready to make their mark in the Atlantic 10 Conference. The Rams look to return to the conference championship for the first time since 2019.
SERIES HISTORY: Renewing one of its longstanding series, this will be the 30
th all-time meeting between Fordham and Manhattan and the first since 2021. The Rams hold a 19-9-1 series edge over the Jaspers and have won each of the last seven meetings, dating back to 2014. The last meeting saw Fordham come away with a 2-1 win in overtime at Gaelic Park. Manhattan's last win over Fordham was a 2-1 overtime win in 2013.
SEASON OPENERS: In season opening matches, Fordham has had a mixed bag of results, posting an 11-17-3 mark. The Rams fell to Drexel, 3-0, in the 2023 opener and are looking for their first season opening win since 2017.
2024 TEAM CAPTAINS: Fordham women's soccer has selected senior
Abby Doyle and junior
Ella Guth as the team captains for the upcoming year.
"Ella and Abby have all the ingredients of what you want in a captain. Their work rate in training, their compassionate personalities when a teammate needs support and their passion for Fordham women's soccer make them the ideal captains of our program," said head coach
Magnus Nilerud.
Doyle will serve as a team captain for the second straight season, sliding into the Rams' backline. A two-year starter, she played in 14 contests in 2023, making 11 starts and scoring two goals. She also contributed to four of the Rams' five shutouts on the year and was selected to the Atlantic 10 Commissioner's Honor Roll for the second consecutive year.
Guth, a junior defender, has been a staple in the Rams' starting backline over her first two seasons, helping Fordham record five shutouts in that time. Thus far, she has started 27 of the 29 games she has appeared in and been a two-time Atlantic 10 Commissioner's Honor Roll honoree. Additionally, Guth earned CSC Academic All-District honors following last season.
PRESEASON POLL: The Atlantic 10 Conference released its preseason coaches' poll, where Fordham was predicted to finish tenth. The Rams look to crack the top eight and secure a spot in the Atlantic 10 Championship for the first time since 2019.
PRESEASON ACTION: Fordham played two exhibition matches this fall, playing to a 1-1 draw with Hofstra, while tying Sacred Heart by a 2-2 count. The Rams were scheduled for a third exhibition against Milton Magic, a Canadian team, but the contest was canceled due to weather.
RARE AIR: Across all of college soccer, the international flavor continues to make its mark, and having an international coaching staff is also becoming a trend with Fordham at the forefront. Three of the Rams' coaches,
Magnus Nilerud (Sweden), Jonny Macadam (Scotland), and
David Flower (UK) all got their start overseas. Fordham is one of seven schools to have at least three international coaches on staff, joining Arizona State (four), Vanderbilt, Indiana, Purdue, Louisiana Monroe, and Texas A&M-Corpus Christi.
LOOKING FOR MORE: After earning a spot on the Atlantic 10 All-Rookie Team last fall, sophomores
Lena Johnsen and
Riley Carroll are primed to take the next step forward. Johnsen was named the conference's Rookie of the Week twice in 2023 and finished as the team leader in assists (3) and points (11), while being second in goals (4). Carroll was also among the Rams' scoring leaders in her first year with the squad, finishing third on the team in goals (3) and points (7), while being second in shots (33).
WHO'S NEXT: The Rams continue their opening homestand at Moglia Stadium next week with matches against Drexel (Aug. 22) and UAlbany (Aug. 25). The match against Drexel will also be Youth Soccer Night.
