The Fordham men’s soccer team closed out their Atlantic 10 (A10) championship play in the semifinals with a 0-2 loss against the University of Dayton (UD) Flyers on Wednesday night.
The match was the second time the teams faced each other this season. At the last meeting, also at Dayton’s Baujan Field, the Rams defeated the Flyers 4-2, the last game the Flyers lost.
Star player Daniel D’Ippolito, Fordham College at Rose Hill ’26, led the Rams to the semifinals this season with a total of 13 goals and seven assists, but his skills would have been ineffective if it had not been for the entire team’s effort.
“The season was full of challenges from start to finish. Getting the new guys acclimated fast was super important for us to start strong. We have such a great locker room that stayed together in the tough moments which allowed us to get some big results. Making it to the semifinals at Dayton was a great experience for everyone and to play in the big games is what we work so hard for,” D’Ippolito said.
The Rams’ strong defense was able to hold off their opponents for the rest of the half, but offensively were out-shot 16-3.
Fifth seeded going into the match, the Rams were not able to use their usual offensive strength to take down the second seeded Flyers.
Dayton opened the game strong and found the back of the net in the fifth minute. Flyer midfielder Hjalti Sigurdsson, UD ’25, scored off a corner kick from teammate Martin Bakken, UD ’27, putting the score at 1-0.
Shortly after, Thomas Gray, Gabelli Graduate School of Business ’25, nearly leveled the playing field with a header into the box, but connected with the goal frame instead of the netting.
The Rams’ strong defense was able to hold off their opponents for the rest of the half, but offensively were out-shot 16-3.
In the second half, the Rams saw the same fate. Flyer Ethan Sassine, UD ’25, picked up a goal in the 69th minute assisted by teammate Felix Buabeng, UD ’27, to secure their 2-0 victory.
D’Ippolito was named A10 Midfielder of the Year just earlier in the day, only the second ram honored with the award. He led the Rams with five attempted shots against the Flyers, but fell short in showcasing his usual powerhouse play.
“Earning Midfielder of the Year means so much to me to be able to see the benefits of all the hard work done during the off season. At the end of a successful season for the team any individual award after that is just an added bonus,” D’Ippolito said.
In his last game appearance against the Duquesne Dukes, D’Ippolito secured his second hat trick of the season to lead the Rams to a shutout 3-0 victory.
Despite the unsuccessful final match, D’Ippolito and the Fordham men’s soccer team have excelled this season, finishing with an 8-5-5 overall record.
“We were able to win a lot of tight games this year which has separated us from the previous years. It shows the character the group has during tough moments and the results came with it. As for next year our goal is always to compete for the A10 Championship and to get a bid to the NCAA tournament at the end of the year,” D’Ippolito said.
The Dayton Flyers moved on to their second-straight A10 final against the Saint Louis Billikens and defended their title with a 3-0 victory on Nov. 17.
On Nov. 18 it was announced that the Rams punched their ticket to the NCAA tournament and will face Cornell University in Ithaca on Nov. 21 at 5:00 p.m.
