This past week, Feb. 17, Fordham Women’s Soccer played their snowy season opener at Jack Coffey Field against Sacred Heart. After a six-month push back of their season, the women’s team was able to compete, dueling with the Pioneers that ultimately resulted in a no-score draw of the game. 

When asked about how she felt about being able to compete again, head coach Jessica Clinton said, “It was really wonderful to be able to compete again. I think I’ve used the word ‘surreal’ to my peers. There was a lot of emotion surrounding the day and the preparation involved, but once we kicked off, it was a deep sigh of relief that we made it. I’m pretty sure if you asked our players that same question, they might say the same.” The Rams were excited to finally face what they have been working so hard for, but as we now know, this has come to a pause.

The Rams were able to force the Pioneers without a shot attempt in the first half. With their strong performance, the Rams were able to have a few good looks that defined the game. Junior goalkeeper Maggie Grossman had two saves that forced the Pioneers’ scoreless play. 

During the game, the best offensive chance that the Rams had came from junior forward Marissa Stanco. Stanco shot a ball that ended up being grabbed by Pioneer goalkeeper Elyssa Kipperman.

The Rams are not expected to play again until Feb. 28, exactly two weeks after campus was forced into lockdown. In this game, they will play the New Jersey Institute of Technology Highlanders. The Highlanders are expected to play their first game on Thursday, Feb.16 against the Seton Hall University Pirates. The Rams are watching other teams competing and will be ready to go when the time comes. 

When asked about what she expects when the team goes back to action, coach Clinton said, “I think we will need to learn more information from what this pause means for athletics. Ideally, we would like for the pause to end at two weeks and get right back into playing, but we need more information in order to determine what a return to play would look like. Our group is resilient and focused on getting out of this pause ASAP.” 

The Rams have been faced with the tough challenge of bouncing right back into competition, but this puts the game at the front of their minds. “It’s about preparation and details which will determine our success when we come out of it,” coach Clinton said.