BRONX — Coming out victorious in a scoreless battle, No. 2 Fordham advanced past No. 7 Saint Joseph’s in a 5-4 penalty kick shootout on Saturday in the Atlantic 10 Championship Quarterfinals at Moglia Stadium.
The Rams (9-4-4) advanced to the semifinals with the victory, where they will host No. 3 Dayton at 1 p.m. ET on Wednesday, Nov. 12. The eight-team tournament was re-seeded following the conclusion of Saturday’s quarterfinal matches.
Both teams had several chances throughout regulation, but defense and goalkeeping reigned supreme. Only one shot on goal was registered in the first half – an attempt from Fordham’s Daniel Lang – but the netminders became active in the second half. Saint Joseph’s goalkeeper Cooper Jennings logged five saves and Fordham’s Tristan Stephani recorded three, neither allowing a goal in regulation or overtime.
The battle went into a penalty kick shootout, which immediately upped the intensity. Fordham fell behind after failing to convert on its first attempt, but the Rams evened things up when an opportunity opened on the fourth try.
With each team attempting its fifth kick, Stephani recorded a clutch save to set up a game-winning opportunity for the Rams. Graduate midfielder Erik Krohnstad stepped up to the occasion, burying a shot to the left side of the goal to send Fordham into the semifinals.