ELON, N.C. – The Elon University women’s soccer team resumes the Colonial Athletic Association portion of its schedule on Sunday afternoon, Oct. 2, when it travels to Williamsburg, Va. to face the William & Mary Tribe at 2 p.m. at Martin Family Stadium.
FOLLOW THE PHOENIX
You can watch Sunday’s match on CAA.TV. Updates on the match against the Bulldogs will be provided on Twitter at the handle @elonscores and the program’s handle, @ElonWSoccer.
LAST TIME OUT
The Phoenix closed out the non-conference portion of its schedule with a 2-0 win over South Carolina State on Thursday night. Early goals from Kendall Ballotti and Tori Baliatico led the maroon and gold to victory.
SERIES HISTORY
Elon has only faced William & Mary twice and both have been during the maroon and gold’s first two seasons in the CAA. In a rescheduled match last season, the Trbe defeated Elon 2-0 on Oct. 27, 2015 on Rudd Field. In the first meeting, the Phoenix faced William & Mary in Williamsburg, Va. on Oct. 19, 2014 and lost 3-1 at Busch Field.
ABOUT ELON
Elon currently has a 6-5-1 overall record and is 1-1 overall in conference play. The maroon and gold opened its CAA slate on Rudd Field with a 2-1 overtime win against Towson on Sept. 23 and a 3-1 loss to James Madison on Sept. 25. Ballotti, Baliatico and Kennedy Little have scored for Elon during conference play.
The Phoenix finished with a 5-4-1 overall record against non-conference opponents, which included three teams ranked in the top-three of their league’s preseason poll (High Point, UNCG and Coastal Carolina) and one top-10 nationally ranked opponent (#8 Clemson). The maroon and gold is currently unbeaten in four of its last five non-conference matches.
Nine different players have scored for the Phoenix so far this season. Erin Tanhauser and Baliatico lead the way with three goals this season. Susannah Anderson recorded her team-high third assist of the season on Tanhauser’s goal.
The Phoenix squad has 20 returners from the 2015 season, which posted a winning record of 9-8-2 and started the year with a Division I era program-best, 7-1-1 mark, in the first nine games. Elon has infused 10 newcomers into the fold, which includes nine total freshmen, three of which are international student-athletes, and graduate transfer Bria Bass.
FOWLER TABBED CAA ROOKIE OF THE WEEK
Freshman goalkeeper Katelyn Fowler was named CAA Rookie of the Week on Sept. 5, after posting a shutout in 135 minutes of action against Coastal Carolina on Sept. 1 and Western Carolina on Sept. 4. She came into the match against the Chanticleers at halftime as a substitute, did not allow a goal in the second half, and made two big saves to help the Phoenix preserve a 2-1 victory over Coastal Carolina. Fowler also earned her first-career shutout in a 1-0 victory at Western Carolina, making four saves in 90 minutes of action.
NEAL MAKES HISTORY
Ninth-year head coach Chris Neal made history on Aug. 19th, becoming the winningest coach in program history with his 75th career victory at Elon. He surpassed Paul Webster (1995-2003) for the most wins in Elon women’s soccer program history. He earned his 79th win on Friday against Towson.
BALIATICO HONORED
Sophomore Tori Baliatico earned Honorable Mention accolades by the conference as part of the 2016 Preseason All-CAA Team. The Scotch Plains, N.J. native finished tied for first on the team in points (9) and goals (4) last season and earned 2015 CAA All-Rookie Team honors. She has already scored one goal to begin this season.
SCOUTING THE TRIBE
William & Mary enters the match with a 7-4 overall mark and a 1-1 conference record. The Tribe opened conference play last weekend with a 3-0 victory over James Madison (Sept. 23) and a 2-1 loss to Towson (Sept. 25). Goalkeeper Grace Smith (Sept. 12) and forward Sarah Segan (Sept. 19) have both earned CAA Player of the Week and CAA Rookie of the Week Honors respectively this season. Segan will be the biggest threat in attack as she has found the back of the net seven times this season. 30th-year head coach John Daley won his 400th career match on Sept. 11. This season, the Tribe have also earned non-conference wins against East Carolina, De Paul, Old Dominion, VCU, UNCG, and Marshall.
UP NEXT
The Phoenix continues CAA play heading north for road matchups at Hofstra on Oct. 7 and Northeastern on Oct. 9.