By Tyler Freire
Ole Sandnes and the Rams’ defense held strong against an aggressive Lions offense. (Andrea Garcia/The Fordham Ram).
The Fordham men’s soccer team welcomed the Columbia Lions to Jack Coffey field in the opening event of Homecoming weekend. This match certainly made an impression on the alumni, family and friends in attendance, as they witnessed a thrilling finish in the Bronx.
Columbia started off the match as the aggressors on both sides of the pitch, netting a goal in the 12th minute of action. John Denis lined up a free kick from about 20 yards out that squeezed just inside the right post for his first goal of the year, giving the Lions a 1-0 advantage.
Fordham head coach James McElderry was not particularly happy with his team’s play in the first half. “We did not connect on enough passes and allowed Columbia to dictate the pace of the game,” he said. “At half time we simply told the players to be more confident in their abilities and to look to play to our forwards quicker, as we thought we could bypass their midfield as they wanted to press our team.”
The score remained in favor of the Lions until the 50th minute as Columbia was called for a handball, which gave the Rams a free kick around 20 yards out. Sophomore midfielder Janos Loebe took the free kick for the Rams and drilled a low liner into the left corner of the net for his second goal of the year.
After both teams exchanged free kick goals, neither side could find the back of the net for the rest of the match. In the first session of extra time, both teams buckled down on the defensive side of the pitch, leaving the score to remain at 1-1.
It was much of the same in the second session of extra time until the very last moments, as Janos Loebe made a longshot attempt that Zach Alder of Columbia stopped. However, Alder could not maintain control of the ball, and it fell right to Fordham’s junior midfielder Eric Ohlendorf inside the 6-yard box. The Long Island native converted for his second goal of the year, giving the Rams a 2-1 Homecoming victory and sending the fans, family and alumni home as happy campers. In net for the Rams, sophomore Rashid Nuhu made five saves to help secure the victory for Fordham.
“In overtime we felt we had the advantage. Our players looked fresh and really wanted to push for the win,” head coach James McElderry stated. “On the last shot from Janos, their keeper fumbled the ball, but give credit to Eric Ohlendorf for putting in the effort to capitalize on the mistake. There are always mistakes in games, but there has to be someone there to punish them for the mistake. This is great for Eric and our team.”
The Fordham men’s soccer team will next be in action on Saturday, Oct. 1, when the Rams open Atlantic 10 action at George Washington at 2 p.m.
