Elon Women’s Soccer Set for Final Home Matches of Regular Season

ELON, N.C. – The Elon University women’s soccer team returns to Rudd Field this weekend for its final home matches of the regular season on Friday, Oct. 14, against Drexel at 7 p.m. and against Delaware for Senior Day on Sunday, Oct. 16, at 1 p.m.

FOLLOW THE PHOENIX
You can watch both matches on Phoenix All-Access. Updates on the match against the Dragons and the Blue Hens will be provided on Twitter at the handle@elonscores and the program’s handle,@ElonWSoccer.

SENIOR DAY
On Sunday, the Phoenix will recognize its eight-member senior class. Bria Bass,Alexis de Groot, Kara DeGuisto, Rachel Hallman, Sarah Henson, Taylor Mohr,Kelly Siewers and Erin Tanhauser will be recognized for their hard work and dedication to the women’s soccer program during their time with Elon.

LAST TIME OUT
The Phoenix dropped both CAA road matches last weekend at Hofstra (3-1) on Friday, Oct. 7 and Northeastern (3-0) on Sunday, Oct. 9. Tanhauser was the lone goalscorer for Elon with a strike in the 82nd minute at Hofstra. DeGuisto was credited with the assist.

SERIES HISTORY
The Phoenix and the Dragons will face each other for the 3rd time in the all-time series on Friday evening. The Dragons defeated Elon 2-1 in double overtime last season in Philadelphia on Oct. 18, 2015. This will be the second time that Drexel has made a visit to Rudd Field. The last time the Dragons traveled to Elon, N.C. was during the Phoenix’s inagural season on Oct. 10, 2014.

The Phoenix and the Blue Hens will face each other for the 3rd time in the all-time series on Sunday afternoon. The series is currently tied between the two squads. In the last matchup, Delaware defeated Elon 3-0 in Newark, Del. on Oct. 16, 2015. The last time the Blue Hens visited Rudd Field, the Phoenix earned a 2-0 victory on Oct. 12, 2014, marking Elon’s first program win as a part of the Colonial Athletic Association.

ABOUT ELON
Elon currently has a 7-7-1 overall record and is 2-3 overall in conference play. The maroon and gold has picked up both CAA wins with a 2-1 overtime victory against Towson on Sept. 23 and a 3-0 shutout of William & Mary on Sunday, Oct. 2. Erin Tanhauser and Tori Baliatico lead the team in scoring this season with four goals each.

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. Baliatico and Tanhauser have a team-high four goals this season. Susannah Anderson has a team-high four assists.

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.

PARADOSKI NAMED CAA ROOKIE OF THE WEEK
After tallying five total points with two goals and an assist in a 3-0 win at William & Mary on Sunday, Oct. 2, freshman forward Taylor Paradoski has been named the CAA Rookie of the Week on Monday, Oct. 3. Paradoski scored twice in the first half, scored the game-winning goal, and assisted Tori Baliatico’s goal in the second half to lead the Phoenix to a 3-0 road victory against the Tribe.

Paradoski scored her first of the match with a clam finish off Nyah Spearman’s through-ball in the 38th minute to put the Phoenix ahead, 1-0. She then scored in the 40th minute after Elon won a free kick. The Rochester, Mich. native slotted home a redirected ball from Rakel Jonsdottir to extend Elon’s lead to 2-0 heading into halftime. Paradoski earned Elon’s second Rookie of the Week honor as freshman goalkeeper Katelyn Fowler was named CAA Rookie of the Week on Sept. 5.

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.

SCOUTING DREXEL
The Dragons are 8-5-2 overall and are second in the CAA standings with a 4-1-1 league mark. Drexel is currently on a four match unbeaten streak since falling 1-0 to Northeastern in overtime on Sept. 25. Vanessa Kara is currently second in points (8) and tied for third in goals (3) during conference play this season. Shaelyn McCarty has also made an impact this season with a team-high six goals this season.

ABOUT DELAWARE
The Blue Hens are 3-12 overall but have a 2-4 mark in CAA play this season. Delaware got off to a hot start winning its first two matches of the opening league slate, but have lost four straight matches since. Natalie Zelenky leads the way with five goals and two assists for 12 points in 15 starts.

UP NEXT
The Phoenix closes out the regular season on the road. Elon will travel to College of Charleston on Friday, Oct. 21 and UNCW on Sunday, Oct. 23.