BRONX, N.Y. – After claiming victory in its home opener this past weekend, the Fordham men's soccer team will return to action on Thursday night when it plays host to Santa Clara. Kick-off from Moglia Stadium is set for 7 p.m. on ESPN+ with Nick Guzman and Mike Smolens on the call.
Fordham (2-0-1) will look to stay undefeated on the young season when it welcomes the Broncos (1-1) to the Bronx on Thursday. After opening the campaign with a scoreless draw at then-No. 17 Hofstra, the Rams defeated Sacred Heart, 2-1, on the road before taking down Colgate, 3-2, on Sunday afternoon at Moglia Stadium.
Five different Rams have found the back of the net so far this season, including freshman Daniel Lang, whose 77th minute goal against Sacred Heart last Wednesday proved to be the game winner. For his efforts, Lang was named the Atlantic 10 Rookie of the Week yesterday afternoon.
Daniel D'Ippolito is the Rams' leading point producer this season with a goal and an assist. He scored the opening goal against Colgate with a brilliant right-footed strike after tallying the primary assist on Lang's game-winner at Sacred Heart. Noe Messer, Andre Insalaco and Lukas Hackaa have also scored for the Rams in the early going of the 2024 campaign.
Dating back to the start of the 2023 season, Fordham is now undefeated in its last nine home matches (6-0-3).
Thursday's match will mark a homecoming for one of Santa Clara's standouts, as graduate student midfielder Florian Deletioglu will make his return to the Bronx. A four-year letterwinner with the Rams from 2020-23, Deletioglu scored 17 goals in 59 career matches, earning First Team All-Atlantic 10 and United Soccer Coaches Second Team All-Region honors last season. He was a member of the 2020-21 Atlantic 10 Champions, scoring three goals in 10 appearances as a freshman.
Santa Clara is 1-1 on the season, winning its opener, 1-0, at UC San Diego before dropping a 2-1 decision at UC Davis on Saturday. Last season, the Broncos clinched a share of the WCC Championship by going 5-1-1 in league play, but did not earn the conference's automatic bid to the NCAA Tournament.
Thursday night will mark the first-ever men's soccer meeting between Fordham and Santa Clara, two of the 28 Jesuit colleges and universities in the United States.
