The Rams are A-10 Champions for the first time since 1996. Courtesy of Fordham Sports.
By Tara Cangialosi
Fordham sports certainly made headlines this weekend.
With the football team going undefeated in the Patriot League on Saturday, the Fordham men’s soccer team had a sizable feat to match on Sunday in the final game of the Atlantic 10 Conference Championship in Richmond, Virginia.
After beating the Championship’s number three and two seeds in succession in the days prior, the Rams were ready to battle their fellow Ram opponent and the number one seed overall, the University of Rhode Island.
In a fight to the end, six-seeded Fordham defeated URI by a score of 1-0 in the final match, winning the A-10 Conference Championship title.
With the victory, the Rams earned an automatic bid to the 2014 NCAA Championship for only the second time in the team’s history. The team previously made an appearance in 1996.
On Monday, the Rams received their formal destination for the opening round of the NCAA Championship, and discovered that they will travel to Dartmouth University’s Burnham Field for a 5 p.m. match against the Big Green on Thursday, Nov. 20.
The winner of the game will travel to Providence College to take on the 11-seeded Friars on Sunday, Nov. 23 in the second round of the tournament.
Dartmouth, which went 11- 4-2 on the season and 5-1-1 in Ivy League play, clinched the Ivy League bid with a 3-0 win over Brown this past Saturday evening. Fordham will look to take revenge on the Big Green, which defeated the Rams 2-0 at Dartmouth on Sept. 27.
However, the Fordham team that proudly hoisted the A-10 trophy on the field at Sports Backers Stadium on Sunday afternoon is much evolved from the team Dartmouth faced in September.
The A-10 Championship showcased Fordham’s talent, as it had five players chosen for the All- Tournament team including three freshmen.
Senior goalkeeper Sean Brailey was named the Championship’s Most Outstanding Player, with 13 saves and two shut-outs.
Freshman Jannik Loebe was selected for his two game-winning goals against Saint Louis and URI. The German was additionally named to TopDrawerSoccer.com’s team of the week for his contributions.
Freshman Christopher Bazzini had an assist and shined on defense for the Rams, while freshman Matthew Lewis also played a pivotal defensive role in the two shutouts.
Graduate student Aleksandar Mastilovic also had two assists, to finish out the Rams’ All-Tournament selections.
The prominent play from these players in combination with the rest of the team’s effort was crucial in A-10 play, as everyone was involved on both the offensive and defensive ends.
Aleksandar Mastilovic was one of four Fordham players named to the Atlantic 10’s All-Tournament team. Christian Wiloejo/The Ram
The Rams’ journey began on Thursday, Nov. 13 in its first matchup against the three seed and home team, VCU.
Though Fordham had not played the Richmond-based Rams this season, the team was aware that a tough game would ensue, as VCU had an A-10 record of 4-1-4 and had played some challenging out-of-conference opponents.
As predicted, the battle of the Rams was evenly-matched, with each squad generating opportunities out of the midfield and into each team’s final third.
Despite the efforts, neither Fordham or VCU could convert any chances in the first 90 minutes, or the two additional 10 minute overtime periods. This sent the game into penalty kicks, where five shooters from each team were first chosen to kick.
For Fordham, senior Andres Penfold, Mastilovic and senior Ollie Kelly were the first three shooters to convert.
With the pressure on his shoulders, Brailey stepped into the net with poise.
VCU made its first two attempts, but Brailey guessed correctly and dove to his right to save the third attempt, kicked by Mario Herrera Meraz. Brailey and the Bronx-based Rams were fired up, as cheering and fist-pumping could be seen from the sidelines.
Fordham’s first score came in the 28th minute of the game. Mastilovic sent a lofting corner kick to the center of the field, in search of a maroon jersey. Cupolo was there to collect the cross and finish it for his first goal of the season, giving the Rams a 1-0 lead.
Following a period of scoreless play, Fordham increased its lead with 13 minutes remaining in the game. Mastilovic earned his sixth assist on the year when he connected with teammate and fellow-German Loebe on a pass to the outside. Loebe beat the Saint Louis keeper to the lower left corner to make the score 2-0.
In the 81st minute, however, Saint Louis got on the board. The Billikins’ David Graydon curved an incredible shot into the upper right corner of the net to narrow the scoring margin to 2-1.
The Rams would hang on though, with Brailey registering four total saves, including a punched ball over the cross bar on Saint Louis’ final attempt to tie the game.
Fordham’s back line was outstanding at the game’s end, preserving the Rams’ one-goal lead over an incredibly prolific offensive team. Their efforts proved worthy of future competition, as the Rams took the match 2-1 and were set to play the No. 1 seed URI on Sunday.
Friday’s defensive effort certainly carried into Sunday’s contest against the A-10’s top competitor, which went 7-1 in conference play. The Bronx-based Rams had previously lost to URI 1-0 on Sept. 27 on Jack Coffey Field.
Though URI was riding a hot streak at the time, the Rams did not play their best game, and were dominated despite the game’s low, and seemingly-close score.
This time, however, the tables turned in Fordham’s favor.
After a scoreless and tightly-matched first half, Fordham took the lead 55 seconds into the second half.
On a long throw, Bazzini man- aged to put the ball right in front of the URI goal. There was a slight scramble, but Loebe managed to get his foot on the ball and knock it into the back of the net, giving the Rams the 1-0 advantage.
URI’s offensive efforts to get back into the game following the goal were evident. Pushing forward, the Providence-based Rams attempted to get through the Fordham defense, especially in the final five minutes of play. URI’s Matt Sykes blasted a shot with under two minutes to go, but it sailed over the net.
Fordham held on from there to win the championship, celebrating on the field with the A-10 trophy. Fordham had succeeded in attaining revenge over URI, who suffered only one loss to Saint Louis this season.
Though the A-10 Championship win is an outstanding accomplishment for the Rams, the team will need to get right back to work in order to prepare for Dartmouth in the opening round of NCAA Championship play on Thursday.
With the NCAA Championship bracket being released on Monday, 48 teams were informed of their place among the competition.
Twenty-three of the teams were conference champions, and the remainder were selected at-large by the NCAA Division I Men’s Soccer Committee.
Fordham received the news about Dartmouth on Monday, giving the team three days to prepare for its biggest matchup in recent history.
If the Rams can bring the same energy that they brought to the A-10 Championship games, Dartmouth will certainly be in for a surprise.
Fordham’s deceiving 8-8-4 season record is no indication of how far they have come.
Amping up their game against A-10 competitors at the end of the regular season, the Rams’ true potential has emerged with its acquisition of the conference title.
From here, only good things can happen for the Rams if they continue to play at the level they have recently showcased.
In support of the team, a bus of Fordham students will travel to Dartmouth in the early afternoon to arrive on time for the game’s evening start.
Additional tickets to the game will be available to fans one hour prior to kickoff via an on-site ticket window at Dartmouth. Adult tickets are $8, and student and youth tickets are $6.
For fans who cannot make it to Dartmouth, a live-HD video stream will be available along with live stats from DartmouthSports.com.
Tara Cangialosi is the Web Editor for The Fordham Ram.
