After going 2-4-1 in non-conference play to start the season, the Fordham women’s soccer team bounced back at the start of conference play last week. They started Atlantic 10 play by defeating George Mason University at home before traveling to Washington, D.C. and tying with George Washington University.
The Rams continued conference play by welcoming St. Bonaventure University to Jack Coffey Field last Thursday. The Bonnies also came into the game going 1-0-1 in their two conference games, putting them in a tie in the A-10 standings early on in the season. Before Fordham’s defense allowed a shot, the offense took four of their own, three being on target but none finding the back of the net. In the 16th minute of the game, a questionable no-call led to a St. Bonaventure breakaway, which turned into the first goal of the game for Ami Komori. In the 20th minute, Fordham had an excellent opportunity to tie up the game when the whistle was blown at midfield for an injured Bonnies player, with freshman Riley Carroll possessing the ball inside the opponent’s penalty box. At the 43rd minute mark, on the Rams’ 16th shot of the half, Fordham finally pushed the ball over the goal line when graduate student Cianna Elmazaj netted her second of the season on an assist from freshman Marie Degroote for the equalizer just before the half.
The second half started similarly to the first, with Fordham’s defense not allowing a shot while the offense took three of their own. In the 54th minute, St. Bonaventure’s Komori notched her second goal of the day from 16 yards out to put the Bonnies back up one. In the 62nd minute, the Rams had a golden opportunity to knot the game at two when Carroll once again was one-on-one with the St. Bonaventure goalie. With no whistle called on this play, the Bonnies goalie kicked the shot on goal away to her right, preserving the one-score lead. After four more Fordham shots, St. Bonaventure’s Komori struck for the third time on the night with the insurance goal and earned herself a hat trick. Although the Rams took 32 shots, more than three times as many shots as the Bonnies 10, they could only find the back of the net once.
Fordham hosted Yale University on Monday for their last non-conference matchup. The Rams started the game threatening and preserving the ball but only managed to get two shots off, neither on target. In the 23rd minute, the Bulldogs struck first with a ball sneaking by Fordham goalie Serena Mensah. The two shots Fordham took before the goal would be the only two before the halftime whistle blew.
The second half started with a quick Yale goal one minute in, putting the Rams in a 0-2 hole. In the 68th minute, Fordham conceded their third goal of the day, giving them an even steeper hill to climb out of down 3-0. Three minutes later, the Bulldogs padded their lead with their fourth score. In the 72nd minute, the Rams tacked on a goal of their own after Cianna Elmazaj found Carolina Monahan, cutting the deficit to three at 4-1. That would be the game’s final score from either side, with Yale handing Fordham a loss.
The two losses put Fordham at 3-6-2 overall of the season and 1-1-1 in conference play. Seven straight conference games to end the season will determine if the Rams can lock up an A-10 tournament berth.
