BRONX, N.Y. – Marist women's soccer dropped its season opener on Friday evening, falling 4-0 to Fordham inside Moglia Stadium at Jack Coffey Field.
The Rams (1-0-0) struck early, finding the back of the net twice in the opening five minutes. Renata Mercedes opened the scoring in the 3rd minute with a blast from distance off a setup from Lena Johnsen. Just over two minutes later, Ava Giudice doubled the lead, slotting home a low cross that took a deflection.
Marist (0-1-0) settled into the match as the first half went on, generating 10 shots on the night, six of which were on frame. Sophomore forward Gabby Tirado led the attack with seven shots and five on goal, but Fordham goalkeeper Addison Green turned away every chance to preserve the clean sheet.
Fordham extended its lead early in the second half. In the 50th minute, Liina Tervo headed in a Johnsen corner kick to make it 3-0, and Mercedes added her second goal of the evening less than a minute later with a low strike from the top of the box.
The Red Foxes had a prime opportunity to get on the board in the 82nd minute when Tirado stepped to the spot for a penalty kick, but her attempt missed the target. Maddy Catalanotti made six saves in goal for Marist, keeping the visitors within striking distance despite Fordham's 24-10 shot advantage.
The Red Foxes will be back in action on Thursday, Aug. 21, when women's soccer travels to Hamilton, New York to take on Colgate. Match start is set for 6 p.m. on FloSports
A tough way to start the year, we knew they were going to be talented and give us some problems; our youth and inexperience showed in getting scored on in both halves in the first 5 minutes. We unfortunately put ourselves in a hole from the start, but that is why we play these non-conference games against tough opponents, to get exposed and gain experience!
- Nicole Pacapelli Ciano
