Women’s soccer (4-9-3, 2-5-1 Atlantic 10) fell 0-2 to the Fordham Rams (10-4-3, 5-2-2 A-10) on Thursday in New York City.
Their loss to the Rams marked their eighth loss of the season, placing them 12th out of 15 in the conference rankings, just below Duquesne and followed by George Mason, Richmond and St. Bonaventure. Senior goalkeeper Ainsley Lumpe came in with a recorded 39 shots saved so far in the season and had an additional four shots saved in Thursday’s match.
The Revs have been met with trouble on the road since mid-September, losing their last three away games against La Salle (7-5-5, 2-4-3 A-10), Saint Louis (10-1-5, 6-0-2 A-10) and North Carolina State University (4-9-3, 1-5-2 Atlantic Coast) ahead of Thursday’s matchup. Since the beginning of the season, the team has only lost two of their seven home games. They fell to Massachusetts 2-4 on Oct. 3 and Binghamton University 2-3 on Aug. 18.
The Revolutionaries triumphed over the Richmond Spiders (4-9-2, 2-6 A-10) in their latest win 2-1 at home on Oct. 13, with goals from graduate forward Lauren Prentice and freshman defense Julia Bilal.
The first half started steadily, with each team exchanging fair shares of ball possession for the first eight minutes, until Rams freshman forward Liina Tervo took a shot at the goal. For the remaining 37 minutes of the half, the Rams pushed into the Revs’ territory, leading the Revs to take a more defensive stance through the rest of the half, forcing three Rams corner kicks. Revs junior forward Isabel Kelly made GW’s only shot of the half, which missed out right of the goal.
The Rams collected a total of nine shots in the first half, three of which were on goal. Lumpe saved two of those on goal shots. Twenty-seven minutes into the half, Fordham’s graduate forward Abby Borchers, assisted by Tervo and junior midfielder Julia Holton, scored a goal for the Rams, putting them ahead 1-0.
The Revs re-entered the game in the second half with a more offensive approach. They advanced into Rams’ territory, creating an aggressive back-and-forth between the two teams. By the end of the half, the Revs took five shots, two of which were on goal, taken by freshman midfielder Selah Koleth and senior defender Amelia Booth.
Despite the Revs’ renewed energy in the second half, the Rams maintained their momentum from the first half. They took an additional seven shots in the second half, three of which were on goal. Fifteen minutes into the half, Fordham’s freshman forward Julia Acosta, assisted by sophomore midfielder Ava Giudice, scored one shot to put them ahead 2-0.
The Revs have three games left in their 2024 regular season, prior to the start of A-10 Championship play on Nov. 1. By Thursday’s game, they held the eighth seed spot, and after losing Thursday’s game, the Revs sank to the 12th seed spot, increasing their risk of no postseason play.
Women’s soccer will face VCU (3-8-4, 2-2-4 A-10) at home on GW’s soccer field Thursday.
