The Fordham women’s soccer team lost to the La Salle University (LSU) Explorers, 3-1, on Oct. 9. The Rams now find themselves in eighth place in the Atlantic 10 (A10) standings. A victory against La Salle, who entered the competition with only one A10 win this year, would have propelled Fordham into fourth place with just four games remaining in the season.

In a dominant performance, Explorer star Kelli McGroarty, LSU ’24, scored a hat trick in the first half to ensure victory for Fordham’s A10 rival. The Rams had no answer for the junior, who pocketed her fourth, fifth and sixth goals of the season in rapid succession. 

The two teams traded chances early in the game, forcing both goalkeepers to make a pair of saves. Neither team could find the back of the net until McGroarty subbed into the match at the 24-minute mark. From that point on, she single handedly extinguished any hope of victory for the Rams. 

With 11 minutes remaining in the half, McGroarty dribbled down the field, navigating defenders before firing a shot from 25 yards out past the glove of keeper Maria O’Sullivan, Fordham College at Rose Hill ’24. The scoring didn’t stop there.

Four minutes later, McGroarty found herself with another prime opportunity. A failed clearance by Olivia Redden, Gabelli School of Business at Rose Hill (GSBRH) ’24, allowed McGroarty to slip through the Fordham’s defense and bury a shot into the right side of the net. 

In a matter of minutes, the Rams trailed 2-0 with little momentum to mount a comeback. Still, with more than a half of soccer left to play, the lead was far from insurmountable.

The odds of Fordham clawing back fell significantly when La Salle tacked on a third goal in the 40th minute. The Explorers earned a corner kick and swung a cross through the box. When Fordham failed to clear it out, the ball fell to the feet of Sunni DiElmo, LSU ’25. Her failed shot attempt made its way to McGroarty who clumsily put it past O’Sullivan to complete her first-half hat trick. 

Fordham will need to recover its formula for winning, as it will face the second, third, and fourth-place teams in the A10 over the next three weeks.

Over the span of seven minutes, the Rams collapsed to fall behind, 3-0. Fordham entered halftime facing a mountainous deficit with only 45 minutes to climb out. 

As the second half continued, the Rams struggled not only to even the score, but to tally a single goal. Any attempts to break the shutout were foiled by Explorer goalkeeper Michela Auguadro, LSU ’25. She made three saves in the half to thwart any hopes of a Fordham comeback. 

The Rams were finally able to break the ice in the 79th minute. A pass from Alexandra Taylor, GSBRH ’24, made its way to Fordham star Kristen Cocozza, GSBRH ’23. She then fired a spectacular shot from 18 yards out into the top right corner of the goal, netting her fourth goal of the season and second in as many games. 

The score brought the game to 3-1 but proved too little, too late. The game wrapped up without another goal, and La Salle emerged victorious, earning their second win of their 2022 A10 campaign. 

For Fordham, the loss demonstrates a deviation from the momentum built after the Rams’ dominant performance against the University of Rhode Island (URI). URI and La Salle are neighbors in the A10 standings with six points in conference play apiece. Competitively they pose similar challenges, but the Rams dominated against one and lost against the other. 

Fordham will need to recover its formula for winning, as it will face the second, third, and fourth-place teams in the A10 over the next three weeks. 

The final four games of the season will offer an opportunity for the Rams to rise in the standings. The primary order of business will be maintaining a spot in the eight-team A10 Championship starting on Oct. 28. The secondary focus will be on moving up in the standings to achieve a more favorable matchup when championship play comes around. 

The team missed the playoffs last season, struggling with a 2-7-1 record in A10 play. Thus, even returning to the A10 Championship would be a demonstrable improvement from last year’s efforts. 

The Rams are now 3-2-1 in conference play and will attempt to turn things around with a late-season push into the postseason, starting with a matchup against fourth-place Davidson College on Thursday, Oct. 13.

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