Elon MSOC Phoenix Closes Out Road Swing at William & Mary

ELON, N.C. – The Elon University men’s soccer team closes out its three-match road trip with a Colonial Athletic Association game at William & Mary on Wednesday, Sept. 30. Game time is scheduled for a 7 p.m. start at the Martin Family Stadium at Albert-Daly Field.

Follow the Phoenix
Fans can follow the Phoenix on Wednesday 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. In-game updates will also be provided on Twitter at @elonscores or the program’s handle @elonmenssoccer. The game will be streamed through William & Mary’s athletic site, tribeathletics.com.

Series History
The midweek match between the Phoenix and the Tribe will be the sixth all-time between the two programs on the soccer pitch. William & Mary holds a 3-1-1 advantage over the Phoenix in a series that dates to 2007, but the two programs played to a scoreless draw in the most recent encounter last season in Williamsburg, Va. Elon’s lone victory versus the Tribe came in 2012.

Last Time Out
A first-half goal from senior James Brace and a season-high six saves from keeper Matthew Jegier helped the Phoenix to a 1-0 CAA shutout road win at defending league champion Delaware this past Saturday, Sept. 26. The victory improved the Phoenix to 2-0 in the CAA and gave the maroon and gold its sixth clean sheet of the year versus the 2015 league preseason favorite.

Phoenix Nationally Ranked
Elon continues to be ranked nationally in a number of the major soccer polls. The Phoenix is sitting at No. 10 in the latest National Soccer Coaches Association of America (NSCAA) Top 25 Poll. The maroon and gold is also ranked No. 11 in TopDrawerSoccer.com’s Top 25 Poll and is No. 13 in College Soccer News Top 30 Poll. Last week, Elon received its highest national ranking ever at No. 8 in the NSCAA Top 25 Poll.

Elon at No. 11 in First NCAA RPI Report
The Phoenix was ranked No. 11 in the first NCAA Rating Percentage Index (RPI) Report that was released on Monday, Sept. 28. Elon earned its ranking based off its strong schedule that has already featured three teams in the RPI top 30 and dates with two more that are currently in the RPI top 20. Elon has already faced Wake Forest (1), South Carolina (9) and Davidson (28) and has posted a 2-1 record versus those schools including a 1-0 win at the Demon Deacons. The maroon and gold still have RPI top 20 opponents UNCW (12) and Hofstra (19) remaining on its schedule.

About Elon
Elon improved to 8-1 overall last Saturday at Delaware and has a 2-0 ledger in the CAA. The last time the Phoenix started 2-0 in league play was in 2012 en route to the Southern Conference regular-season title. The last time Elon started the season 3-0 in conference play was in 2009.

The Phoenix is fourth in the nation in goals scored with 22 and also in total points with 61. The maroon and gold is also averaging 2.44 goals per contest, good for sixth in the country. Nine players have found the back of the net for Elon with Eduardo Alvarez leading the way with his four scores. Four other players have tallied three goals on the year as Elon is averaging 14.1 shots per contest.

Defensively, Elon still remains one of the top units in the league and has allowed only six goals through its nine matches. The Phoenix is limiting its opponents to only 10.4 shots per contest and only three assists on the year. Jegier has posted league-highs in goals against average (0.67), save percentage (.824), shutouts (six) and shutouts per match (0.67) in between the posts.

Scouting William & Mary (3-3-2, 0-1 CAA)
The Tribe was defeated by College of Charleston, 3-1, in its most recent contest and CAA opener last Saturday, but had been unbeaten in its previous three games prior to that match including wins at Longwood and at Navy. William and Mary’s lone other win this season came versus Liberty at home on Sept. 1.

On the year, William & Mary has scored 13 goals with over half of that total coming in the previous three games. The Tribe is notching 13.5 shots per game and has a shot on target percentage of .370. Three players (William Eskay, Antonio Bustamante and Ryder Bell) lead the Tribe with four goals each while Reilly Maw paces the squad with his three assists.

The Tribe defense has allowed 14 goals on the season while holding the opposition to 12.1 shots per game. Netminder Mac Phillips has played every minute between the posts for William & Mary and has a 1.60 GAA to go with 25 saves and a .641 save percentage.

Up Next
Elon returns home to Rudd Field and hosts Northeastern on Saturday, Oct. 3. That game is scheduled for a 7 p.m. start.