After officially finishing up non-conference play last Monday with a loss to Yale University, the Fordham Women’s soccer team came into a crucial stretch of conference matchups starting at the University of Dayton this past Thursday.
The Rams came into play sporting a 3-6-2 overall record and a 1-1-1 record in Atlantic 10 games. Dayton came out firing from the first whistle, with an excellent scoring opportunity just two minutes into the game, but the shot was wide to the right. After Dayton continued to pressure, they had a second chance at the 15th-minute mark with a shot that appeared to be going into the top right corner. However, Fordham senior goalie Serena Menash made an incredible leaping save to get a fingertip on it at the last second. Off the rebound just seconds later, Dayton again struck for the net, with Mensah able to prevent the ball from crossing over the goal line while still on the ground. This started what would be an excellent game for Mensah in which she would have seven saves en route to a shutout.
The Fordham offense struggled to move the ball downfield throughout the game but still got off 11 total shots. Six of the 11 shots were on target, with freshman Riley Carroll leading the way with three total shots, two being on goal. Some of the Rams’ best opportunities came on through balls to what looked like surefire goals but could not find the back of the net. Mensah’s shutout preserved the 0-0 tie for Fordham, their second draw in conference play.
The Rams headed back home for their second game of the week this past Sunday, another A-10 contest versus Davidson College. This game was heading in the same direction as Fordham’s previous match, with zero shots taken in the first 20 minutes. The game remained scoreless through almost the entirety of the game, even with both teams getting their fair share of opportunities. In the 89th minute, graduate student Cianna Elmazaj found freshman Lena Johnsen for the buzzer-beating goal off the top left crossbar and into the back of the net.
Goalie Serena Mensah had another fantastic game with nine saves, tying her career-high, en route to her second consecutive shutout. The win was also Mensah’s first of the season after recently taking over full-time duties in goal in place of sophomore Kyla King.
The tie and win put the Rams at 4-6-3 overall and 2-1-2 in conference play. The team gets some much-needed rest before continuing their stretch of A-10 games on Sunday, Oct. 8 with an away game against the University of Rhode Island.
