BRONX, N.Y. – Leading 2-0 with just over 20 minutes to go in the match, Fordham saw UMass score three times in the final 22:08, including two goals in the final 2:33, to escape with a 3-2 victory on Saturday night at Moglia Stadium.
The loss moves Fordham to 3-3-3, 0-1-1 Atlantic 10, while UMass improves to 5-2-2, 1-1-0 in the league. It marked the first loss at home for the Rams since Oct. 29, 2022, snapping an 11-game unbeaten streak at Moglia Stadium.
Fordham came out of the gate firing in the first half, as Ede Gramberg scored his first goal as a Ram just 4:55 into the contest. The play began near midfield in front of the benches with Benji Jones touching a ball to Daniel D'Ippolito, who launched it to the opposite side of the pitch toward Gramberg near the top of the penalty box. Gramberg took a hard step toward the middle of the field before unleashing with his left foot and tucking it just under the bar from 20 yards out.
The Rams struck again in the 22nd minute, as D'Ippolito found the back of the net for his team-leading sixth goal of the season. The junior took possession on the left side after a long pass from Lukas Hackaa. He then used some fancy footwork to shake his defender before finishing with his left foot to the far post and giving the Rams a 2-0 lead.
With the wind at their backs in the second half, UMass found itself on the front foot for the majority of the period. After shots were even, 3-3, in the first stanza, the Minutemen outshot Fordham, 13-3, over the final 45 minutes.
Oliver Akintade scored first in the 68th minute, burying a long distance try from just outside the penalty box.Â
With two and a half minutes to play, the Minutemen equalized on a somewhat controversial play. Standing 40 yards from the goal on the right sideline, Alex Brown sent a sailing ball toward the target. The win prolonged the ball's flight, causing Fordham keeper Leo Perelman to leap for it as it approached the goal. While he was in the air, Perelman appeared to draw some contact from a UMass forward, but no foul was awarded and the ball deflected off Perelman's hands and into the net.
UMass wasn't done yet, as the Minutemen scored one final goal with 45 seconds to play. Following a failed attempt by Fordham to clear its own zone, Johan Feilscher collected the loose ball in the penalty area and tucked a shot just inside the far post to seal three points for UMass.
Fordham will return to action next Saturday when it travels to No. 22 VCU for a 7 p.m. contest against the Rams of Richmond.
