The Fordham men’s soccer team defied the odds this past week, defeating the Davidson College Wildcats, who were leaders atop the Atlantic 10 standings, with a score of 2-1.
The Rams came out strong, forcing the Wildcats back into their own end as they outshot Davidson 12-1 in the first half.
In the 13th minute, the Rams finally got on the board. On the left side, junior Jed Dixon sent a long cross near the penalty spot intended for graduate student Liam Salmon. With an easy flick of his head, the ball found senior Florian Deletioglu, slamming it into the back of the net past Davidson goalkeeper Lou Liedtka for the 1-0 advantage.
At the end of the first half, the Rams also held an advantage in corner kicks, getting the opportunity to run five more set pieces compared to Davidson’s zero.
Things opened back up for the Rams in the second half, as they promptly returned to scoring in the 58th minute.
Sophomore Nathan Simes was able to connect with graduate student teammate Kai Greise off of a throw in. With some back-and-forth action, the two passed the ball off of one another down the field.
Making it all the way to the top of the 18-yard box, Griese, with a strike from his left foot, sent a ball into the bottom-right corner of the net, increasing the Rams’ lead to 2-0.
But it wasn’t all smooth sailing for the Rams, as the Wildcats were determined to battle back.
Courtesy of Davidson’s leading scorer, Vincent Bennage finished a well-placed ball in the box, past Fordham’s graduate student goalkeeper Carter Abbott’s reach.
Things went south for Davidson as Alonzo Clarke was sent off with his second yellow card of the match in the 78th minute.
With the score at 2-1, Davidson was eagerly trying to even the score, yet to no avail. Another attempt would come in the last few minutes of regulation, with Bennage once again on the attack. Getting his head on a ball from the left midfield, he attempted to find the back of the cage, but it missed just wide right.
Now, Fordham moves to 5-1-3 on the year, including a 4-0-1 mark at home, and improved their A-10 record to 2-1-0.
This is Davidson’s second loss of the season, which marked only the second time this season the Wildcats surrendered multiple goals in the same game.
The Rams have a jam-packed week, starting on Wednesday as they face Saint Joseph’s University at home in the Bronx. Then, their attention shifts to Rhode Island University on Saturday on the road, before making the trek back to play once again on Tuesday against Hofstra University for one of their last non-conference games of the season.
