STAFF WRITER

Fordham needs a win against Duquesne on Friday and some help from other teams in order to make the playoffs. (Photo by David Meyers/The Ram)

Fordham’s postseason chances took a big hit this past Friday, with the bullet coming in the form of three second half goals by Dayton.

The Rams travelled to Ohio to take on the first place Dayton Flyers in an Atlantic 10 showdown with postseason ramifications on the line.

Fordham opened up the scoring in the 42nd minute, as junior forward Kate McDonnell hit a header past Dayton goalkeeper Elizabeth James, who tried to field a long kick from sophomore midfielder Ivana Lahcanski. McDonnell’s first goal of the season gave the Rams a 1-0 lead going into the half.

Dayton would begin its scoring barrage in the 51st minute, as Ashley Campbell scored her 13th goal of the season off of a long feed from Nicole Waters.

Campbell would draw a penalty shot for the Flyers after being tripped in the box in the 74th minute, which was taken by Juliana Libertin. She would give Dayton the 2-1 lead with a shot to the top left corner of the net.

Libertin would go on to score her second goal of the game and her sixth of the season in the 88th minute as she sidestepped junior goalkeeper Ally White, who tried to field the ball and put it into the empty net.

The loss puts the Rams in a tricky spot going into the conference tournament. The team’s focus must be on what it can control: the upcoming game against Duquesne on Nov. 1.

A win over Duquesne would give them a good shot at earning a postseason berth. A loss would put their fate in the hands of their A-10 competition, as a win over Duquesne will not be enough to secure the eight seed in the A-10.

“Our goal for this last game is to refocus and end the regular season on a win,” said senior midfielder Kelsey Dougherty Howard, when asked what the team plans to do to prepare for Duquesne. “Offensively we have to work on maintaining possession in the final third and capitalizing on our opportunities in front of the net.”

The Dukes are currently 2-3-1 in conference play and sit two spots ahead of the 2-4-1 Rams. Their two wins came against fourth place St. Bonaventure and 11th place Richmond. A good showing from the team should have Fordham sitting at 3-4-1 on Nov 2. That being said, inconsistency has plagued the second half of Fordham’s season. The defense and the offense cannot seem to click at the same time. It is hard to predict the outcome of the game when no one knows which Fordham squad will show up.

If the Rams win, they will still need some help from their opposition. A lot of the teams that are in position to get the eight spot in the A-10 have two games remaining on their schedules, so there is a chance for a four-way tie between Fordham, Richmond, Duquesne and Saint Joseph’s. However, the teams currently sitting in the seventh and eighth spot only have one game remaining. A win by both of those teams would end any chances that the Rams have of earning the eight seed.

It will be interesting to see how the playoff picture in the A-10 will turn out. For Fordham, however, the only thing that matters is getting a win against Duquesne on Nov. 1. Everything else is out of their hands.

Categories: Soccer, Sports