After starting the season on the road with a close loss to Hofstra and rallying back to finish tied in overtime to NJIT, it seemed a home game would be just what the doctor ordered to get Fordham back on track. The Rams welcomed the Rider University Broncs, who were also looking for their first win this season over the weekend after losing their first game against the University of Connecticut, to Jack Coffey Field.

Despite having the edge in total shots and corner kicks earned, Fordham could not finish where it counted most: the final score. The Broncs succeeded in playing spoiler, maintaining their 2–0 lead to earn their first victory this season.

As for Fordham, the disappointing loss dropped them to 0-2-1, and the Rams were left scratching their heads in a game where they were the better team throughout. The team could not dwell on the loss too long, with an upcoming road game at Villanova University on Tuesday evening.

The first half against the Wildcats went eerily similar to the Rams’ previous game at home to Rider. Fordham outshot Villanova, 9–5, in the first 45 minutes of play. Unfortunately, as was the case over the weekend, the Rams could not take advantage of potential scoring chances in the final third of play.

What was different in this game was the impressive effort from the Fordham defense.

Facing a team that had outscored its opponents 6–0 in three games this season, senior defender captain Joergen Oland and the Rams’ back line did a phenomenal job keeping the Wildcat offense in check throughout regulation.

The second half saw more of a back and forth in shots between the two squads, with Fordham holding a slight advantage in shots, 6–5. Besides outshooting the Wildcats, the Rams had seven corner kicks to just one for the home team. Ninety minutes of regulation was not enough for either team, as the game went into overtime scoreless.

The first overtime period saw three shots between the teams with Fordham again controlling the shots category, 2–1. Ten extra minutes proved to be insufficient, and the game would get one final OT period to decide a winner.

Just one minute into the second OT, the Wildcats finally broke through to send its home fans at Higgins Soccer Complex happy. Villanova forward Lyam Mackinnon was in the right place at the right time, striking on a rebounded shot in the box to keep the Wildcats undefeated on the season.

Fordham now stands with a record of 0-3-1 through four games this season, the Rams offense has been nearly non-existent. Fordham has been held scoreless in three of those games and head coach Carlo Acquista will need to find answers on offensive quickly with Atlantic 10 Conference play rapidly approaching.

Up next for men’s soccer: their second home game of the season against Holy Cross on Saturday. Kickoff is set for 5:00 p.m.