PHILADELPHIA - The La Salle men's soccer squad returns home to McCarthy Stadium for the first time in nearly three weeks when the Explorers host Fordham in the Atlantic 10 opener on Friday at 7 p.m. An alumni reception will be held during and after the game.

The home squad has held the advantage in this series for the past three years, with Fordham winning in the Bronx in 2009 and 2011 and La Salle taking the win in Philly in 2010. The match is also set to feature two of the top goalkeepers in the conference. John McCarthy's .875 save percentage ranks him seventh in the nation (top in the A-10), with Fordham's Sean Brailey (.865) ranking 12th nationally (second in the A-10).

Fordham Rams (4-3-1) @ LaSalle Explorers (6-2-2)
Friday, October 5, 2012 | 7 PM
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Scouting the Explorers

The Explorers enter the Atlantic 10 season after wrapping up a 6-2-2 nonconference season, marking the most wins since the 1994 squad won six out-of-league games. The squad is coming off of a 1-0 overtime win at Saint Peter's, which saw senior Zach Turchi score his first career goal.

The squad is eyeing a run to its third straight Atlantic 10 Tournament appearance with the kickoff of the conference season on Friday. With the expanded league, the conference tournament is also expanded to eight teams from six.

Jason Plumhoff and Joe Farrell lead the Explorers in scoring so far this season, each with eight points on three goals and two assists.

In addition to ranking first in the Atlantic 10 and seventh nationally in save percentage (.875), McCarthy ranks first in the A-10 in shutouts (5) and saves (56) while coming in at fourth in goals against average (0.75).

Scouting the Rams

Fordham put together a 4-3-1 nonconference record, highlighted by a 1-0 win over then-No. 24 Brown at the Brown Soccer Classic.

The Rams are coming off of a 1-0 overtime win against Manhattan on freshman Kyle Bitterman's first collegiate goal.

Scoring has proven tough for the Rams, as the team has recorded only six goals on the season. However, they have limited opponents to just five. Kalle Sotka is the lone multi-goal scorer with two goals and one assist for five points. Bitterman now has four points on one goal and two assists.

Brailey has played every minute in goal for the Rams, sporting a 0.59 goals against average to rank 13th nationally in that category in addition to 12th in save percentage.

Next Up

The Explorers once again hit the road for a southern swing next weekend, taking on GW next Friday (10/12) at 3 p.m. followed by Charlotte on Sunday (10/14) at 1 p.m.