Spokane, Wash. – Unlike their female counterparts who saw their match cancelled due to severe weather, the Fordham men's soccer team got their season opener in tonight at Gonzaga University. Unfortunately for the men, the same number of goals were scored in each game as the Rams played to a scoreless tie with the Bulldogs.
The Rams had the best chance to light up the scoreboard. Two minutes after a Gonzaga player was sent off with a red card, the Rams had the best chance for a goal in the game when freshman
Marco Cantalapiedra was taken down in the box and the Rams awarded a penalty kick. But the Gonzaga keeper was able to get a hand on sophomore
Bruno Cellerino's penalty kick to keep the game scoreless.
After a scoreless first half, the Rams had the first chance for a tally three minutes into the second as
Bruno Cellerino got off a blast from just outside the box that was blocked and the ball went to
Sam Delgado who managed a shot that was saved by the Gonzaga keeper. Fordham challenged the blocked of the Cellerino shot as it appeared the Bulldog defender used him arm to block the ball but after original call was upheld after review.
Senior
Leo Perelman started in net for Fordham and made one save over the first 70 minutes before leaving the game with an injury. Junior
Shayon Kashi came on in relief and recorded a pair of saves over the final 20 minutes to preserve the shutout.
Notes
• Captain
Kamran Mojabi, junior
Leevi Swearengen, and freshman
Nico Linares each played all 90 minutes.
• Perelman made his fourth career start for the Rams.
• Gonzaga is playing its first year as a member of the Pac 12.
• This was the first meeting between Fordham and Gonzaga on the pitch.
• The Bulldogs are playing their first year as a member of the Pac 12 Conference.
• It was Fordham's first match against a team from the Pac 12
• The Rams are 3-3-2 in season openers under head coach
Carlo Acquista, 2-0-2 over the past four years.
• The game at Gonzaga marked the furthest west a Fordham men's soccer squad has played.
• But that record will be broken on Sunday when Fordham plays at Santa Clara on August 23.
• Lugar Field was the training site of the Egyptian National Team for the 2026 World Cup.
What's Next?
• The Rams continue their season opening west coast trip with a match at Santa Clara on Sunday, August 23, at 10:15 p.m. (RST)
• The Rams have played twice against WCC schools, defeating Santa Clara, 4-0, in 2024 in the Bronx, and a 1-0 loss to San Francisco at the 1989 Budweiser Loyola Invitational at Loyola Maryland.
