On a picture perfect day at the newly renovated Jack Coffey Field, the Fordham women’s soccer squad gave it a perfect finish.  Senior Jessica Widmann scored in the final five minutes of regulation to give Fordham a 2-1 over Manhattan in the annual “Battle of the Bronx”.

 

The win evens Fordham’s record at 1-1 on the year, and gives head coach Jessica Clinton her first career coaching victory.  Manhattan fell to 1-1 on the season.

 

Manhattan earned the first scoring opportunity of the match in the 16^th minute as Erica Modena found some free space on the right side of box.  Her shot though was quickly hauled in by Fordham goalkeeper Ally White, keeping the game scoreless.

 

Fordham’s first scoring opportunity turned into the first goal of the game in the 39^th minute.  After a corner kick chance was cleared outside the box, Ali Gungor recovered the ball for Fordham and got it to Jessica Widmann, 30 yards from goal.  Widmann then cut inside, feeding the ball to Natalie Sims on the left half of the box.  Sims was able to get by her defender and fired in her first career goal from 12 yards out, just inside the far post.

 

The half ended with Fordham ahead 1-0 and each team having two shots.

 

In the second half, Manhattan went on the attack to get the equalizer.  First, in the 53^rd minute, Modena hit the cross bar on a free kick and the rebound header by Lizzy Carlson just went high.

 

Then in the 69^th minute, the Jaspers got the equalizer on a penalty kick after Aislinn McIlvenny got taken down in the box.  McIlvenny then took the penalty kick, scoring inside the right post, for her second marker of the season.

 

McIlvenny looked to get the Jaspers ahead in the 83^rd minute, as her run ended with a shot from 13 yards out, but Fordham goalkeeper Megan Fitzgerald, who came in at halftime, made a punch save to her left, keeping the game knotted at one.

 

Fordham then regained the lead in the 85^th minute.  After a blocked shot, Natalie Sims and Kate McDonnell had a quick give-and-go pass, sending Sims to the corner.  Sims then laid a cross to the back post, finding Widmann for a wide open goal in the left side of the net.

 

The score would finish at 2-1 in favor of the Rams, as Fordham improved to 13-8-1 all-time against Manhattan College.

 

In net, White and Fitzgerald each played a half for Fordham and made one save, while Kristen Skonieczny had three stops for the Jaspers.

 

The Fordham women’s soccer team will next be in action on Friday, August 29^th, when the Rams host Vermont for a 1:00 PM start on Jack Coffey Field.