STAFF WRITER

Fordham women’s soccer closed out its season and the careers of several accomplished seniors with a win at home last Friday night against Duquesne. The win gaveFordham a 5-9-3 record, with a 3-4-1 record in A-10 play.

The game took place on senior night, during which Mary Solimine, Kaitlyn Carballeira, Kelley Alpaugh and Casey Nowakowski were honored for their careers as Fordham Rams.

The Rams scored the only goal of the game early, after Duquesne committed a foul in the twentieth minute. Senior defender Kaitlyn Carballeira headed the ball into the goal off of a free kick feed from senior midfielder Mary Solimine.

Fordham would attempt a penalty kick near the end of the half but senior midfielder Kelsey Dougherty Howard lifted the ball over the net, preserving the 1-0 lead through the first 45 minutes.

The second half would be more of the same, as the Rams’ offense pressured the Dukes while their defense continued to blank the Dukes on the score sheet. Freshman forward Nicol Natale, who will without a doubt be a major component to the future success of the team, showed off some great playmaking skills and would have extended the lead to two goals had it not been for a diving save by Duquesne goalkeeper Ashley Szalwinski. Defenders Nowakowski and Kelsey Dougherty Howard helped keep the ball away from the net, while freshman goalkeeper Megan Fitzgerald recorded two saves and her first career shutout.

“We are really focusing on giving a strong defensive performance,” said Carballeira, when asked what the team was doing to prepare for Duquesne last week. “Specifically we’ve been working on our defense on set plays.”

The win was necessary to keep the Rams in contention for the conference’s eighth seed needed to get in to the A10 tournament. Last weekend saw a number of conference games take place, the results of which would directly effect Fordham’s postseason chances. As circumstance would have it, three teams qualified over Fordham with 3-3-2 conference records.

“The fact that I was able to help keep Duquesne off of the board on senior night made it even better,” said goalkeeper Megan Fitzgerald, when asked what it meant to record a shutout on senior night. “I’m glad that I was able to do my part in making the senior’s last game as great as possible. Although our season has unfortunately come to an end, I feel like the team was able to have a great finish, ending the season with a win and a shutout on our home field.”

The Rams should have a high ceiling in the coming years. The team is young and those not graduating have gained valuable experience after playing through a very difficult schedule. There are currently seven juniors and eight freshmen on the team, so a lack of leadership or youth will not be an issue in 2014.

Fordham’s four graduating seniors have combined for 16 points and 183 games played throughout their careers. They helped the team turn around after a slow start to the season and brought along a group of talented, but inexperienced freshmen. Overstating the senior’s contributions would be a difficult thing to do, as the future success of this team will likely be built on the foundation that those graduating helped lay.

Look for the 2014 Rams to use the 1-0 losses, double overtime games and inspired slump-busters to put together a campaign that will have them in contention for the Atlantic 10 title.