BRONX, N.Y. – For the second time in the team's first five matches, Fordham Men's Soccer will hit the road to take on a ranked opponent when it travels to Philadelphia on Monday night for a showdown with No. 24 Penn. Kick-off is set for 7 p.m. on ESPN+.
The Rams are coming off their most dominant performance of the season so far, cruising past reigning WCC Co-Champ Santa Clara, 4-0, on Thursday night in the Bronx. The Rams' first four-goal outing since 2019 was highlighted by the program's first hat trick since 2016, as Daniel D'Ippolito scored three times in the statement win over the Broncos. D'Ippolito became the 19th different Ram in the 70-plus-year history of the program to score at least three times in the same match and the first since Eric Ohlendorf in the 2016 Atlantic 10 Tournament.
D'Ippolito was one of two Somers High School graduates to find the back of the net on Thursday night, as Bennett Leitner recorded his first goal as a Ram to put the home side up 3-0 late in the opening half. His first Fordham goal came in his 17th career appearance, having missed all of his sophomore season due to injury.
Benji Jones and Louis Lehr recorded assists in the Rams' victory, which also marked the team's second shutout in four matches this season. Carter Abbott and Alex Dolce combined for the shutout, making one save apiece.
The Rams are undefeated through four games to start the season for the third time in the last five years, having also accomplished the feat in 2023 and the spring of 2021. Last fall, Fordham started 4-0-3 before suffering its first loss on the road at Saint Louis while the 2020-21 Atlantic 10 Champions did not encounter defeat until the opening round of the NCAA Tournament against eventual national champion Marshall.
Penn is also coming off a 4-0 victory in its most recent outing, crushing Temple at home on Friday night. The lopsided win came after a terrific result for the Quakers in their season opener, taking down then-No. 3 Pittsburgh, 1-0, on Sept. 1.
The Quakers, who return three all-conference selections from 2023, were picked to finish first in the Ivy League preseason poll. One of those honorees, Leo Burney, was also selected to the NCAA Division I Defenders to Watch List by United Soccer Coaches last month. Last season, Burney led a Quakers defense that allowed just 12 goals in 16 matches.
In 2024, Stas Korzeniowski and Patrick Cayelli have each scored twice for the Quakers in as many games.
Penn surrendered two goals in a game just three times in 2023, one of which came in a 2-1 season-opening loss to the Rams at Moglia Stadium.
Liam Salmon and
Timo Hummrich tallied goals for Fordham in the win while
Alex Dolce made three saves to pick up the victory in his first career start.
