Fordham Women’s Soccer was ready to face La Salle University and show how their hard work and practice has paid off to this point. This was the start of the competitive excitement Coach Clinton and players alike have voiced. You could sense the intensity in how they have been practicing and even posting on social media. They were ready to begin their conference play.

In that first conference game, the Rams held off the Explorers for a draw. Even though they did not pull off the win, the players proved a lot to themselves. Neither team scored in the first half of the game but Fordham struck in the second with sophomore midfielder Alexandra Taylor.

Taylor was not the only player who wanted to leave their mark on the game. Junior midfielder Danielle Etienne attempted two shots, as well as junior forward Caitlin Kennedey and senior defender Kendall Dandridge. They aggressively pushed toward trying to score an extra goal but came up short.

It wasn’t until the last few minutes of the game that La Salle scored their first goal. This tied the game and forced double overtime. There, the Rams looked to have a game winner after sophomore defender Olivia Redden scored off a free kick. However, a foul against the goalkeeper negated this goal.

Fordham’s sophomore goalkeeper Serena Mensah had a smashing game with a career-high night of six saves. Mensah was a big part of her team’s success, leading toward maintaining an evenly played game that resulted in the draw.

Another standout performance was senior defender Claudia Cuicani, named the Player of the Match, according to the Fordham women’s soccer team Instagram. Cuicani, along with her teammates, stepped up to hold the line against an equally aggressive team.

With the competition becoming tougher ahead, the Rams are gearing to get back into action and face their next team. The team is set to play again on Sept. 23 in Richmond against the Spiders and  on Sept. 26 against the St. Bonaventure’s Bonnies, a team that Fordham athletes all across the board know that they must defeat.

Five out of the next eight games will also be played in the Bronx, and the fans are ready to show the support that the Rams deserve.