Staff Writer

Fordham women’s soccer stood out in an impressive weekend for Fordham athletics, taking two very good conference opponents to a combined four overtimes. The Rams will take a 1-1-1 conference record into their matchup with VCU this Friday after falling to La Salle on Friday and tying with Saint Joseph’s on Sunday.

Fordham’s defense came close to keeping the conference loss and tie columns unblemished, as it surrendered just one goal to La Salle’s potent offense in the 105th minute of the match. The defending A-10 champs came into the game having scored 19 goals in 11 games, a level of offensive production that had the Explorers sitting atop the conference with an 8-2-1 record.

The Rams, then 1-0 in conference play, entered Philadelphia as a unit of underdogs looking to stay undefeated in the A-10. Chances of pulling out a victory appeared slim early on, as it seemed that the Explorers would have the opportunity to put a dangerous amount of shots on goal. La Salle’s Renee Washington recorded three of her team’s first four shots, all of which came early in the game and all of which were unsuccessful in finding the back of the net.

The rest of the half saw little threat to either goalkeeper, as the ball stayed at midfield for much of the time. Freshman Turner Block had an opportunity late to put a header into an empty goal, but it was blocked by a La Salle defender.

The second half was uneventful until Fordham junior goalkeeper Ally White collided with an Explorer and fell hard to the ground. She left the game, leading coach Ness Selmani to insert freshman Megan Fitzgerald in net for the remainder of regulation. She showed poise under pressure, going one-on-one with Renee Washington from 15 yards out and stopping her shot on goal, preserving a 0-0 tie through 90 minutes of play.

White would return for the extra periods of play, but unfortunately Washington was finally able to sneak one past her in second overtime off  a cross feed from Maryam Huseini.

White and Fitzgerald combined for seven saves in a heartbreaking loss. Upsetting La Salle would have put the Rams into great position going forward in conference play. That said, Fordham’s defense played exceptionally well in what will likely end up being its biggest test of the regular season.

The Rams played their second double overtime game in as many days against Saint Joseph’s, a matchup that saw opportunistic but virtually fruitless offensive efforts from both teams. Unfortunately, a missed kick on a clearing attempt gave Morgan Duffy a kick from about 30 yards out, which just beat Fitzgerald inside the left post.

Freshman Nicole Bates evened the score in the 54th minute off of a feed from senior Kelsey Dougherty Howard, knocking in a header from eight yards away.

The game would end in a 1-1 tie, as the Rams’ defense shut down the vast majority of Saint Joseph’s plentiful attempts. Fordham was also able to generate a lot of offensive pressure, forcing Hawks goalie Lauren Jancuska to make seven saves to preserve the tie.

Fordham will travel to VCU this Friday to take on a 6-4-1 team that will look to stay undefeated in conference play.

If Fordham can continue playing at this level, it has more than a fighting chance to put another tally in VCU’s loss column.