ASSISTANT SPORTS EDITOR

Fordham has two home games this weekend and must win both in order to have any hope of making the playoffs. (Photo by Ally White/The Ram)

The Fordham men’s soccer team suffered what may end up being its toughest defeat of the season this past weekend, losing a road match to Virginia Commonwealth 3-0.

The loss brings Fordham’s conference record to 2-3-1 and knocks the Rams back into a tie for 10th place in the Atlantic 10 standings, and out of contention for a spot in the conference tournament.

The match both started and ended poorly for Fordham. Fordham did manage to earn a corner kick in the first few minutes, but VCU shut down Fordham’s attack and started its own. VCU’s attack bested the Fordham defense, as it scored its first goal on their first shot in just the seventh minute of the match.

The first goal, while it shook Fordham, did not spell disaster. Fordham continued to work hard on offense, earning three more corner kicks and registering a pair of shots in the first half. Though it was resilient, VCU was able to answer and overcome every Fordham challenge.

VCU asserted its dominance in the second half. Fordham conceded the second goal of the match in the 52nd minute, when a shot from VCU forward Mario Herrera Meraz went into the lower right corner of the net. Yet again, VCU scored in the first 10 minutes of the half.

The second goal brought even more trouble for Fordham. The team was unable to get any offensive momentum going, tallying just one shot in the second half. None of Fordham’s three shots tested the keeper, and the team was unable to get the ball deep and earn another corner kick.

VCU, on the other hand, had an abundance of offensive momentum. The team drove the ball into Fordham’s attacking third, and in the 72nd minute scored its third goal of the match. Fordham’s senior goalkeeper Alex Naples managed to save Kharlton Belmar’s first shot, but Belmar got the rebound and put the ball in the back of the net, effectively clinching the game for VCU.

With the loss, Fordham drops to a 5-9-1 overall record for the year. The Rams have had a great deal of struggles on the road, where they are 1-7-1.

Fordham still has a shot to make the A-10 tournament. The Rams have their final two games of the season in the friendly confines of Jack Coffey Field, against LaSalle (3-2-1 in the A-10) and St. Joseph’s(1-5). The Rams would likely need wins in both of those matches to vault into the top eight and qualify for the tournament.

Categories: Soccer, Sports

Tags: Max Prinz, Sports