Bronx, NY – (August 14, 2024) – The 2024 women’s soccer season begins this week, and the Fordham Rams are ready to take the field to begin their 32nd season.^and The varsity team’s season begins on opening night with the Rams launching a three-game home series that begins with the Battle of the Bronx against the Manhattan Jaspers at Moglia Stadium.

Both Fordham and Manhattan will look to improve in the 2023 season, where both teams have four wins this year. Fordham’s head coach Magnus Nilerud begins his third season in Rose Hill, bringing with him a roster filled with veterans and new talent ready to make its mark in the Atlantic 10 Conference. The Rams are looking to return to the conference championship for the first time since 2019.

SERIES HISTORY: This is the renewal of one of the long-running series, the 29th.^th The best meeting between Fordham and Manhattan to date and the first since 2021. The Rams hold a 19-9-1 lead over the Jaspers and have won each of the last seven meetings since 2014. The last time they met, Fordham won 2-1 in overtime at Gaelic Park. Manhattan’s last win over Fordham was a 2-1 overtime victory in 2013.

SEASON OPENING: In the opening games of the season, Fordham had mixed results, finishing 11-17-3. The Rams lost 3-0 to Drexel in the 2023 opener and will now be looking for their first season-opening win since 2017.

TEAM CAPTAINS 2024: Fordham women’s soccer team selects Senior Abby Doyle and Juniors Ella Guth as team captains for the coming year.

“Ella and Abby have all the makings of captains. Their hard work in practice, their compassionate personality when a teammate needs support, and their passion for Fordham women’s soccer make them the ideal captains of our program,” said head coach Magnus Nilerud.

Doyle will serve as team captain for the second consecutive year and will join the Rams’ defensive line. A two-year starter, she played in 14 games in 2023, starting 11 times and scoring two goals. She also contributed to four of the Rams’ five shutouts this year and was named to the Atlantic 10 Commissioner’s Honor Roll for the second consecutive year.

Guth, a junior defender, has been a staple in the Rams’ starting lineup in her first two seasons, helping Fordham to five shutouts during that time. To date, she has started 27 of the 29 games she has appeared in and has been named to the Atlantic 10 Commissioner’s Honor Roll twice. In addition, Guth earned CSC Academic All-District honors last season.

PRE-SEASON SURVEY: The Atlantic 10 Conference has released its preseason coaches poll, with Fordham expected to finish 10th. The Rams are looking to break into the top 8 and earn a spot in the Atlantic 10 Championship for the first time since 2019.

PRE-SEASON PROMOTION: Fordham played two exhibition games this fall, drawing 1-1 with Hofstra and drawing 2-2 with Sacred Heart. The Rams had a third exhibition game scheduled against Milton Magic, a Canadian team, but it was canceled due to weather.

RARE AIR: The international character continues to be felt throughout college football, and international coaching teams are also becoming increasingly popular, with Fordham at the forefront. Three of the Rams coaches, Magnus Nilerud (Sweden), Jonny Macadam (Scotland) and David Blume (UK) all started abroad. Fordham is one of seven schools that have at least three international coaches on staff, along with Arizona State (four), Vanderbilt, Indiana, Purdue, Louisiana Monroe and Texas A&M-Corpus Christi.

LOOKING FOR MORE: After earning a spot on the Atlantic 10 All-Rookie Team last fall, Lena Johnsen And Riley Carroll are ready to take the next step forward. Johnsen was named the conference’s Rookie of the Week twice in 2023 and was the team’s leading player in assists (3) and points (11) while being second in goals (4). Carroll was also one of the Rams’ leading scorers in her first year with the team, finishing third on the team in goals (3) and points (7) while being second in shots (33).

WHO’S NEXT: The Rams continue their first home series next week at Moglia Stadium with games against Drexel (August 22) and UAlbany (August 25). The game against Drexel will also be Youth Soccer Night.