By Andrew Posadas

On Wednesday, Fordham Men’s Soccer traveled up to Poughkeepsie for a road game against Marist, where more late-game heroics allowed the Rams to tie them.

As per usual, Fordham’s finest found themselves in another hotly-contested match on Wednesday, this time against the Red Foxes of Marist. Fighting a near hour-long weather delay in the first half, the second half continued to bring misfortune, as a costly turnover gave Marist the lead at 1-0.

For the third straight road game, the Rams needed to get into #CardiacRam mode to avoid their first loss of the season.
Coincidentally, this was also Fordham’s third straight game in which the same player got a late goal. Junior defender Joergen Oland was able to collect a blocked shot, and put it into the net with less than five minutes remaining. Overtime could not produce a winning score, leaving the match in a 1-1 draw.

Having just played their penultimate game of the current road trip, one narrative would manifest itself to me: Joergen Oland must be a lucky charm because he has been clutch for this team whenever they have needed him.

As an incredibly diligent journalist, I am here to ask the hard-hitting questions. So that is exactly what I did. My first question to Oland was if he thought the phrase “lucky charm” fit.

“I do not see myself as a lucky charm,” he said. “I think that the reason why I have been able to score is because coach has allowed me to be a bit more offensive this year in a new formation, and especially if we are trailing by a goal.”

Oland’s ability to be an offensive threat while also playing lockdown defense is what makes him one of the best defenders in the Atlantic 10, as well as in the nation. Oland believes this to be an important aspect of his game.

“Our formation this year gives us a lot of balance defensively, and allows me to be a bit more aggressive offensively on the ball, which is something I like a lot,” he said.
Before the season started, I asked head coach Jim McElderry to give me a player on the team poised for a breakout year. The first name to come out of his mouth? Joergen Oland. McElderry described Oland as a player who is overlooked by the rest of the country. He praised Oland’s ability to play big minutes down the stretch in their run to the Elite 8 in last year’s tournament. His words have been backed up by Oland’s play, as the No. 12 ranked Rams are off to a solid start.

Fordham concludes its road trip on Tuesday in the Battle of the Bronx against Manhattan College, a matchup they have dominated in the last ten years. The Rams will look to add on to previous success before hosting their first home game against Columbia University on Saturday evening.

Until then, keep an eye out for Joergen Oland on Arthur Avenue, where he enjoys the Italian food our borough of the Bronx has to offer.