For the first time in 10 years, both the men’s and women’s soccer teams made it to the Atlantic 10 Conference (A10) championship semifinals.
On Nov. 1, Fordham’s women’s soccer team advanced to the A10 semifinals in penalty kicks against Duquesne University. The Rams faced the University of Dayton on Nov. 5 and lost, locking in their overall record at 10-7-3 and marking their first semifinal appearance since 2015.
Fordham’s men’s soccer team also faced several rounds of penalty kicks to advance the team to the semifinals in a Nov. 8 match against Saint Joseph’s University. They closed out their season on Nov. 12 with a 1-2 loss against Dayton University. Overall, the Rams reached a record of 8-6-4.
This season marks the second in a row that the men’s team has made the A10 semifinals.
Star player Daniel D’Ippolito, Gabelli School of Business at Rose Hill (GSBRH) ’26, was honored with both Atlantic 10 Offensive Player of the Year and Atlantic 10 Midfielder of the Year, marking the first time the achievements have been granted to the same player in the same year. The accolades represent D’Ippolito’s many accomplishments on the field this season: He leads the A10 and is seventh in the nation in assists per game, and holds team highs with six goals and nine assists on the year for 21 points, to name a few.
This season marks the second in a row that the men’s team has made the A10 semifinals. Last year, they made the NCAA championship tournament.
“When I came here … we had three wins that year and weren’t very good,” D’Ippolito said. “It’s nice knowing that I’ve left it a little better than I found it.”
As D’Ippolito makes his exit from Fordham, he passes on his leadership to a strong group of players. Red shirt first-year player Daniel Lang, Fordham College at Rose Hill (FCRH) ’29, was named the A10 Rookie of the Year and is tied with D’Ippolito for a team high six goals.
Women’s soccer also took home the A10 Rookie of the Year honor thanks to first-year player Renata Mercedes, GSBRH ’29. This year, the accolade was granted to two players, making Mercedes the A10 Co-Rookie of the Year.
Mercedes follows in the footsteps of the team’s star player Liina Tervo, FCRH ’28. Tervo was named the A10 Rookie of the Year last year, the first in women’s program history. This year, she leads the team in scoring with 10 goals and seven assists for 27 points total.
Both players are among the several reasons why the team was able to improve and advance to the semifinals this season. Kyla King, FCRH ’26, the team’s goalkeeper and one of three captains alongside Tervo, attributed the team’s success to their new strategy this season: switching up formation.
“Our coaches were really good about adapting our formation to what the game needed,” King said. “We would change our formation and it really threw off Duquesne, and that was the reason why I think we were able to win that game — because they didn’t know how to handle the second half.”
Despite this season being King’s first in her role as a captain, she has always had a strong presence on and off the field.
“I already felt like I was a leader, being a goalkeeper. I always saw so much of the field and I already had that voice, so to be granted the actual armbands … it gave me the authority I felt I needed to actually use my voice in an even bigger way,” King said.
King, along with her teammates, was able to lead the Rams to two consecutive A10 championship appearances, something the juniors and seniors on the team had not seen at the beginning of their Fordham careers.
The seniors on both the men’s and women’s soccer teams facilitated progress in each program that will endure beyond their own time on the field.
“The seniors and juniors that I played with … my freshman and sophomore year, those girls had never made it to an A10 championship, so I think always in the back of my head I’ve been playing for them and realizing the privilege of being someone that can help in this change of the program as we get better and better,” King said.
The seniors on both the men’s and women’s soccer teams facilitated progress in each program that will endure beyond their own time on the field, through the continued success of the players they led and the coaches who taught them.
“Losing even one voice gives opportunity for another voice to step up,” King said. “I know there are so many girls that have the potential to be such great leaders and to carry this team in a different way.”
