By Tara Cangialosi

With only two games left in its regular season, the Fordham men’s soccer team knew that getting a positive result on Sunday, Nov. 2 at Dayton would be crucial to the team’s hopes of making the Atlantic 10 Conference Tournament in two weeks.

Lucky for the Rams, they got just that as they defeated the Flyers 2-1 at Baujan Field in Dayton, Ohio.

The first half proved to be a challenge, as neither team could put the ball in the back of the net despite combining for 10 shots.

The Rams also had more chances in their five corner kick attempts, but none were converted.

However, the momentum swung in Fordham’s favor at the start of the second half.

“We knew we had to come out with a lot of energy from the start of the second half and win all of our individual battles on the field,” junior Ryan Walsh said. “We were able to push the ball up the field really well and be dangerous in the final third.”

Within the first minute, graduate student Aleksandar Mastilovic rushed down the sideline on a fast break. He centered the ball as he neared the end line where fellow-German, freshman Jannik Loebe, was there to finish it inside the near post for his second goal of the season.

“I am happy that I assisted Jannik and could help the team,” Mastilovic said. “In the second half, we were better at being more efficient in front of the goal.”

After the Rams’ goal, Dayton was eager to tie the game.

In the 63rd minute, the Flyers’ Amass Amankona found James Haupt on a cross from the sideline. Haupt rocketed the shot past a diving Sean Brailey to score his fifth goal of the season, and tie the game at 1.

But the Rams took the lead eight minutes later and never looked back.

Senior Ollie Kelly scored his first goal this year off of an assist from Walsh. The two combined for a play that ended with Kelly’s near post finisher that put Fordham ahead 2-1.

“I’m more of a defensive player, so it was really nice to make a significant play on the offensive side of the team especially because we have been struggling to score [as] of late,” Kelly said.

Moments after his assist, Walsh then came up big play on the defensive end. He hustled back on defense and made a save on a play by Dayton’s Lalas Abubakar to protect Fordham’s one goal lead.

Despite having four more penalty kicks by the game’s end, the Flyers could not register another score and the Rams locked in the 2-1 victory.

Fordham improved to 6-8-2 on the year and 3-3-1 in the A-10, while Dayton fell to 6-5-5 on the season and 2-2-2 in conference play.

“The team did a great job [of] connecting on several passes to get the ball down the field and into the opponent’s 18 yard box,” Walsh said of the team’s offense as a whole.

The win was a vital one for the Rams, who have been on the border in terms of qualifying for the A-10 tournament that will be held at VCU’s home field, Sports Backers Stadium, on Nov. 13-16.

The win, however, puts the Rams in sixth place in the A-10, behind Rhode Island, VCU, Saint Louis, George Mason and Davidson.

The team’s last game of the season ranks extremely high in importance, as the Rams will face the Dusquesne Dukes, who are just one place lower in the standings with a 3-3 conference record.

A win will ensure the Rams a spot in the tournament, as it accepts the eight teams with the best records in the conference.

“I think if we get into the A-10 tournament, we would have to [give] ourselves a serious chance of going all the way,” Kelly said. “We’ve got a deep squad and with the prospect of playing three games in five days, [it] will be a huge plus for us [to] keep our players fresh and less fatigued.”

The Rams will take on Duquesne tonight at 7:00 p.m. on Jack Coffey Field in its final regular season match.

Tonight is also Senior Night, where the Rams will honor its six senior members of the squad. These players include Andres Penfold, Eric Walano, Mike McNamara, Ollie Kelly, Sean Brailey and Antonio Salluzzi.

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Tara Cangialosi is the Web Editor at The Fordham Ram