By Charlie Maisano

The Fordham women’s soccer team only had one game last week, so it made sure to play at its highest level on Friday night.

The Rams welcomed the Marist Foxes to Jack Coffey Field in what was the third game of their five game homestand. It was also the team’s final non-conference game of the season before it hosts Richmond tomorrow to kick off the A-10 schedule. With a two-game winning streak on the line and a chance to gain some momentum before the Spiders come to town, Fordham did what they had to do.

In a game where most of the action came in the second half, the Rams defeated the Foxes, 2-0. Junior Margaret Roughley broke the stalemate in the 58th minute with a free kick goal to put the Rams on the board first. The scorcher from 20 yards out was her second goal of the season.

It did not take long after Roughley’s goal for the Rams to extend their lead. Milan Bornstein netted her first goal of the season in the 61st minute to make it 2-0 Fordham. The goal was set up by junior Amanda Miller, thanks to heads-up play on Marist’s side of the field. She chased down a loose ball, which caused Marist goalie Abigail Renaud to leave the box. This allowed Miller to deflect a pass off Renaud to Bornstein and resulted in the midfielder kicking the ball in the back of the net.

The score remained this way for the remainder of the game, and the Rams wrapped up their non-conference schedule on a three-game winning streak. The win also improved their record to 3-5 and dropped Marist to 2-3-1.

Head coach Jessica Clinton feels her team is in a good place before their road ahead. “We feel good. It’s been a good progression of the team where our movement has been forward. We’ve scored a few goals now, and I think any string of wins makes a team feel good.”

While the Rams offense was spectacular, the defense deserves just as much credit for the victory. Marist only took three shots all game, and junior goalie Kelly LaMorte only needed one save to notch her third shutout of the season.

One of the main reasons why the Rams were so good at stopping the Foxes was due to sophomore Emma Johnson. She kept the Foxes’ strikers in check and even forced Marist head coach Leigh Howard to switch her players to the other side of the field to try and get some scoring opportunities.

Clinton was impressed to say the least from her star defender. “Emma is a terrific player and she has shown it during her time here. She has only scratched the surface of her potential. Emma has been good as of late – but just wait!”

The team has felt very different since starting the year at 1-4, and it is evident. They have outscored their opponents, 5-1, and outshot them, 51-21, in their last four games. The performance from the Rams has been so good lately that Clinton never even realized her team had a sub-par record.

“Were we really 1-4?” asked Clinton. “I try not to pay attention to the record. It’s not important unless we are battling for an at-large bid but we’ve improved tremendously; from individual play to team play, tactics and technique. We are coming together as a productive unit at the right time, but the 1-4 start has zero impact on what this team has accomplished.”

If there was a time for the Rams to get on a hot streak, it had to be now in order to stay afloat before A-10 play. The next chapter of Fordham’s season starts on Thursday, and the grind will only get harder as the year moves on.