Elon Men’s Soccer Hosts Hofstra in CAA Opener

ELON, N.C. – A new era for the Elon University men’s soccer program begins this weekend as the Phoenix hosts Hofstra in its first-ever Colonial Athletic Association match on Saturday, Oct. 4. Both teams are scheduled to kickoff at 7 p.m. at Rudd Field.

Follow the Phoenix
Fans can follow the Phoenix on Saturday and throughout the season with live updates on elonphoenix.com. Live stats for every men’s soccer match will be available on the team’s schedule and home pages on the Elon athletic website as well as an opportunity to sign up for text alerts. In-game updates will also be provided on Twitter at @elonscores or the program’s handle @elonmenssoccer.

Series History
Saturday night’s match will also be the first-ever meeting between the two schools. Elon has faced only four current members of the CAA all-time in Northeastern, UNC Wilmington, William & Mary and former Southern Conference foe College of Charleston. Last season, the Phoenix went 1-1-1 against CAA competition.

Last Time Out
Elon picked up its fourth win of the season on Tuesday, Sept. 30, with a 1-0 win over triad rival High Point. Junior James Brace scored his fourth game-winning goal of the season in the 64th minute of action while the maroon and gold defense and senior goalkeeper Nathan Dean picked up their fifth shutout of the season.

About Elon (4-3-2, 0-0 CAA)
Elon, who comes into Saturday’s match ranked at No. 58 in the first NCAA RPI rankings, is among the CAA leaders in a number of defensive categories. The Phoenix tied for first in the league in shutouts and is second in fewest goals allowed (eight) and goals against average (0.84).

Dean sits atop the CAA in shutouts per game at 0.56 and has 21 career clean sheets, one shy of tying former Elon and current Colorado Rapids netminder Clint Irwin for first all-time in school history. Irwin had 22 shutouts in his career from 2007-10.

Brace leads the team in goals with four and points with eight. The Hartlepool, England, native has scored a goal in three of the Phoenix’s last four matches and is the lone Phoenix player to score a goal at home this season.

Elon is unbeaten at home on the young season with a record of 2-0-1 at Rudd Field. The Phoenix currently has won its last two conference home openers dating back to its final two seasons in the SoCon.

Scouting Hofstra (4-3-2, 0-0 CAA)
Hofstra closed out the month of September on a two-game winning streak after defeating Binghamton, 1-0, at home on Tuesday in its most recent contest.

Offensively, the Pride is one of the top offensive teams in the CAA, ranking third in points (33), goals (11), assists (11) and corner kicks (42). Josh Holland leads the team in points with 10 on his league-best six assists this year while Daniel Grundei is the Pride’s top goal scorer with three.

Head coach Richard Nuttall is in his 26th season at the helm of the Hofstra men’s soccer program. The Pride was chosen to finish seventh in the 2014 CAA Preseason Poll by the league’s head coaches.

Up Next
Elon travels to Williamsburg, Va., to face William & Mary on Wednesday, Oct. 8 with kickoff scheduled for 7 p.m.