Elon Men’s Soccer Journeys to Philadelphia for Battle at Drexel

ELON, N.C. – The Elon University men’s soccer team will look to stay unbeaten in Colonial Athletic Association play as the Phoenix heads to Philadelphia for the first time to take on Drexel on Saturday, Oct. 15. Kickoff from Vidas Field is scheduled for 4 p.m.

MATCH NOTES

Follow @ElonMensSoccer
Fans can follow the Phoenix on Saturday with updates on Twitter from the program’s handle @ElonMensSoccer. Other score updates will also be provided at the handle @elonscores as well as live stats from the men’s soccer home page. The match will be streamed online though Drexel’s athletic website, drexeldragons.com.

Versus Drexel
Saturday will only be the third time that Elon and Drexel will square off versus each on the soccer pitch and the first coming on the Dragons’ home pitch since the two became CAA opponents in 2014. The Phoenix have won the previous two meetings in Elon including last year’s 3-1 result. Nicholas O’Callaghan and Taylor Adler both had their first career goals during that match for the Phoenix.

William & Mary Recap
A pair of goals by junior Elijah Agu helped the Phoenix to its second straight league victory with a 2-0 result against William & Mary on Wednesday, Oct. 12. Playing in its first home match in nearly 40 days, Elon jumped out on top early with a goal by Agu in the fifth minute off a pair of helpers from Amir Berkane and Nick Adamczyk. Five minutes into the second stanza, Berkane found Agu again to connect on his second goal and a 2-0 lead for the Phoenix as the maroon and gold snapped a three-match winless streak to the Tribe.

Road Warriors
Elon’s recent stretch of six consecutive true road matches is the longest slate in program history besting the total of five straight in 2005. The Phoenix suffered only one setback during its six-match road swing, a 2-1 overtime loss at then No. 24 Radford on Sept. 17. Compared to rest of the CAA, Elon is currently tied with Hofstra and Northeastern for playing the most non-home contests with eight.

Academically Sound
For the ninth straight season, Elon was awarded as a National Soccer Coaches Association of America (NSCAA) Academic Team as announced last Thursday, Oct 6. The Phoenix produced a team GPA of 3.0 or higher for the ninth year in a row and was one of 315 men’s soccer teams that were honored by the NSCAA. Elon was also one of six teams from the Colonial Athletic Association that were recognized.

Conference Honors
On Monday, Oct. 10, freshman defender Luke Matthews was honored as the CAA Rookie of the Week after helping the Phoenix to its first league win of the year at Northeastern. Despite Elon being outshot by the Huskies 16-13, Matthews helped the Phoenix to its fifth shutout of the year while manning all 90 minutes from his center back spot. The Swindon, England, native is only one of two players for the Phoenix (Jonathan Coleby) who has played every minute on the pitch this season.

About Elon (6-2-3, 2-0-2 CAA)
The Phoenix holds sole possession of third place in the CAA standings with eight points after its victory over William & Mary. Going into the weekend, Elon is only a point behind second-place Delaware after the Blue Hens suffered a 2-1 setback to James Madison on Wednesday. Hofstra still sits atop the league standings with its perfect 6-0 mark (18 points).

Agu snapped a four-match goalless streak with his third multi-goal game of the season and is tied for the league-lead with eight overall on the year. He is currently second in the CAA in total points with 17 and in points per match at 1.55. The Cary, N.C., native is also tied for the CAA lead with four game-winning goals.

Elon posted its sixth overall shutout of the season against the Tribe and its third in four CAA games. The six clean sheets are tied for the CAA lead while the Phoenix is also first in goals against average at 0.59 and fewest goals allowed (seven). Netminder Matthew Jegier completed the 14th shutout of his career on Wednesday and individually is leading the league in GAA (0.60) and save percentage (.821).

About Drexel (1-9-2, 0-4-0 CAA)
The Dragons are searching for its first league win after suffering a 4-1 loss at Hofstra on Wednesday. It was the seventh defeat in a row for Drexel, whose lone win of the season came against inter-city rival Temple on Sept. 13.

During the seven-match losing streak, the Dragons have only scored one goal while conceding 18 during that same time frame. On the season, Drexel has tallied six goals on just under eight shots per match with 33 of those coming on frame. Colin McGlynn and Ilai Shvika have combined for four of the six goals this season for Drexel with the pair scoring two goals each.

Defensively, the Dragons have given up 24 total goals on the season with the opposition getting up close to 15 shots per match. Keeper Tyler Afflerbach has played every minute between the posts and has put up a 1.92 GAA with 44 saves and a shutout to his stat line.

Up Next
The Phoenix begins the stretch of three straight home matches beginning with a visit from Delaware on Saturday, Oct. 22. That match is scheduled for an 8 p.m. start at Rudd Field. The Phoenix will also host its annual alumni weekend beginning on Friday, Oct. 21.