Demetri Skoumbakis was outstanding in the first half. (Photo courtesy of Fordham)
The Fordham University men opened their home schedule with a 0-0 draw against 16th-ranked Providence College at Jack Coffey Field in the Bronx on Sunday.
Goalkeeper Demetri Skoumbakis made four saves as he recorded his first clean sheet as a Ram.
The visitors had two prime chances in the first half. In the 16th minute, Brendan McSorley rocketed a shot from distance that Skoumbakis got his right hand on to keep it out of the net. In the 25th minute, McSorely made a run and cut to the top of the box for a shot that Skoumbakis smothered.
At the other end, Providence’s Lukas Burns (five saves) was also up to the task, picking off a set piece shot by Ben Shepherd in the 32nd minute to the upper right corner.
The two offenses continued to be stymied in the second half with the best chance coming from Fordham’s Florian Deletioglu in the 73rd minute, as Burns came out of his net to make a save at the corner of the six-yard box with the rebound being cleared away.
Deletioglu had another chance in the 89th minute following a yellow card to Providence, but Burns knocked that opportunity away.
Fordham visits LIU on Friday, Sept. 2 at 4 p.m.