Elon Men’s Soccer Falls to Blue Hens in CAA Semifinal Round on PKs, 5-4

HEMPSTEAD, N.Y. – Despite battling back from a 2-0 deficit in the second half, the Elon University men’s soccer team saw its run at the Colonial Athletic Association Men’s Soccer Tournament come to an end at the hands of Delaware as the Phoenix fell to the Blue Hens, 5-4, in a penalty kick shootout at Hofstra Soccer Stadium.

The match ended in a 2-2 draw after the Phoenix (13-5-1) erased the Blue Hens’ (10-6-4) lead with its effort in the second half. Still, Elon was unable to get the go-ahead goal it needed to overtake the Blue Hens, who were the 2015 CAA Preseason favorite.

Elon’s Eduardo Alvarez added his team-high sixth goal of the season in the 86th minute to tie the match at 2-2 to force the overtime period.

The Rundown
Delaware managed to get on the scoreboard in the eighth minute of action. The Blue Hens’ Joe Dipre dribbled the ball down the left side of the wing and fired a shot into the back left corner of the net for his fourth score of the year. The goal put the Phoenix in an early 1-0 deficit.

Elon had three chances to connect on the equalizer in the 26th minute with three consecutive corner kicks. Despite a shot by Caue Da Silva off the second corner that went high of the goal, the Phoenix was unable to convert off the set pieces.

The Phoenix had a pair of shots on goal in the opening stanza by James Brace and Taylor Adler in the 40th and the 42nd minute, respectively, but the Blue Hens’ keeper Todd Morton turned both away.

At the half, Elon was the more aggressive team in the opening stanza with a 7-5 advantage in shots with four of those coming on goal. The Phoenix also had a 3-1 advantage in corners.

The Blue Hens took a 2-0 advantage in the 53rd minute on a Ben Sampson goal. Delaware sent a free kick inside the box, which caused some frantic moments before Sampson tapped it past the Phoenix defense.

A Blue Hen mistake in the 62nd minute put the Phoenix on the scoreboard. Delaware tried to clear the ball near its own goal line, but it was misplayed by a Blue Hen defender causing an own goal and putting the Phoenix back into the game down 2-1.

In the 86th minute, Alvarez found the evasive equalizer off a rebound following Sam McBride’s shot. The carom found the Reitoca, Honduras, native who promptly placed the ball to the right side of the net to knot the game at 2-2 and forced overtime.

Neither team generated much offense in the first extra session with Elon having the only two shots of the period. The match moved into a second overtime where Luis Argudo nearly gave Elon the win in the 107th minute. The New York, N.Y., native intercepted a pass at midfield and raced up towards the 18-yard line and fired a shot that seemingly looked online. The ball hit the left post however and the game would eventually go into a shootout session.

During the shootout, both squads netted their first opportunity before missing both shots in the second round. Elon would then miss its next chance while Delaware converted to go up 2-1 before the Phoenix tied it again at 2-2 after the fourth round. Both teams remained knotted until Delaware’s Robert Gillin converted his try to put the Blue Hens up 5-4. The Phoenix could not equalize on the follow giving the Blue Hens the victory.

Match Notes
• This was Elon’s first draw of the season after the maroon and gold went the entire regular season without a tie.
• Elon won the overall battle in shots, 13-12, with both teams having seven shots on goal.
• The Phoenix also had a 4-2 advantage on corners, but only had one after the first half.
• Elon fell to 0-1-1 all-time in CAA tournament play.
• Matthew Jegier had five saves in goal for the Phoenix while his counterpart, Todd Morton, also corralled the ball five times.

Up Next
Elon will await its faith on Monday, Nov. 16, to see if it will receive an at-large bid to the NCAA Tournament. The selection show begins at 1 p.m. on NCAA.com