The Fordham women’s soccer team closed out their season on Friday night with a loss against the Saint Joseph’s University (SJU) Hawks in the Atlantic 10 (A10) Championship quarterfinals at Moglia Stadium.
The game was the first time the Fordham women’s soccer team has made it to the A10 playoffs since 2019, but Head Coach Magnus Nilerud said he knows it’s where the program should have always been.
“I think all players and staff feel that Fordham women’s soccer should belong at this stage and that’s what myself, my staff and players have worked on since we came here in 2022,” he said.
The fourth seeded Rams have had a successful season and went into the match prepared for the fifth seeded Hawks to try and disrupt their rhythm, but not let them get away with it.
“St Joe’s is a very good team that have been in this situation in the past where it’s newer for us,” Nilerud said.
In the last half of the game, the Rams took advantage of one of their strengths: taking control of the final third.
SJU came out strong and increased the speed of play. They played aggressively from the start and put away two goals in the first half.
The Rams spent plenty of time in the box on offense, but couldn’t get past SJU goalkeeper Katie Cappelletti, SJU ’26, who made a game-high seven saves that earned her ninth victory.
In the last half of the game, the Rams took advantage of one of their strengths: taking control of the final third.
Ahead of the game, Nilerud prepared for this: “(The focus will be) once we’re in the final third let the players that can change the game create chances and hopefully put them away.”
Riley Carroll, Fordham College at Rose Hill (FCRH) ’27, did just that.
With just three seconds left in the match, Carroll connected with the ball from a cross by Ryann Lucas and snuck a shot past Cappelletti for her third goal of the season.
Fordham goalkeeper Kyla King, FCRH ’26, registered five saves against the Hawks.
Despite their efforts, the Rams came up one goal short by the end of the match with a score of 2-1.
The Rams felt the absence of star player Liina Tervo, FCRH ’28, on the field. Tervo is the A10’s leading scorer, with 28 points on 10 goals and eight assists. She has been out of game play due to illness, leaving the powerhouse trio that is Tervo, Abby Borchers, Graduate School of Arts and Sciences ’26, and Julia Acosta, FCRH ’28, one player short. Together, the three have amassed 68 points, with 27 goals and 14 assists.
The evident skill of Tervo and Acosta reflects the continued perseverance of the young Rams’ roster, what most would equate with weakness.
“We are young, we start about 7-9 freshmen/sophomores each game and with that we normally should have a little less experience but we haven’t displayed it much thus far,” Nilerud said.
The show of experience from the team pushed them to new heights this season, but they’re not done yet.
“(W)e have sights set higher than this for the program,” Nilerud said.
The SJU Hawks advanced to the semifinals and will play against the Saint Louis University Bilikens on Nov. 6.
