Elon Phoenix, Pride Battle to 1-1 Draw in CAA MSOC Opener

HEMPSTEAD, N.Y. – Ronni Mleczkovicz’s goal off a free kick in the first half helped the Elon University men’s soccer team to a 1-1 draw at Hofstra in the Phoenix’s Colonial Athletic Association opener on Saturday night, Sept. 16, at Hofstra Soccer Stadium.

BOX SCORE

Elon remained unbeaten on the season as the Phoenix pushed its record to 3-0-3 while earning a point in league play at 0-0-1 in the CAA. The Pride went to 1-3-3 on the young season while seeing its overall record against the maroon and gold go to 0-3-1 in the all-time series.

The Rundown
Both teams were on the attack early on with a combined seven shots, but none on target in the first 24 minutes. In the 25th minute, Elon drew a foul with Mleczkovicz getting the assignment to take a free kick from about 25 yards out from the goal. The Gothenburg, Sweden, native sent a direct kick into the upper right corner of the goal for his second score in as many games to give Elon a 1-0 advantage.

The lead did not last long as the Pride went on the attack just seven minutes later. Hofstra’s Danny Elliott played the ball off a Phoenix miscue and fired the ball into an open net to knot the match at 1-1.

Both teams went into the half tied at one-all with the Pride holding the advantage in shots at 6-3. Elon had the lone corner in the opening stanza, but was unable to capitalize off the set piece.

Elon opened the second half with an aggressive approach, as Elijah Agu and Amir Berkane saw their attempts blocked by the Hofstra defense in the 46th minute. After Matthew Jegier made a save on Jon Fraser’s attempt at the 48th minute, Elon got three more shots and a pair of corner kicks over the next 12 minutes, but the Pride defense held.

The Phoenix nearly doubled its shot attempts against the Pride in the second half, 9-4, but saw itself heading into its second straight overtime match after 90 minutes of action. The first overtime went by quietly with neither team getting a shot off in the opening extra session.

The second overtime saw more action including a pair of crucial saves by Jegier in the 107th minute. The netminder stopped a Luke Brown strike from about 20 yards away in the 108th minute and had to scramble to deny a follow-up attempt by Oscar Ramsey to force a corner kick. Elon held on the set piece, but both teams could not find a result after 110 minutes of action, ending in the 1-1 draw.

Inside the Box Score
• Elon won the overall shot battle, 14-13, but the Pride had the advantage in shots on goal, 5-3.
• The Phoenix got off six corner kicks compared to three for Hofstra.
• Agu led the Phoenix with three shots in the match followed by a pair of attempts from Mleczkovicz, Marcel Fahrenholz and Mikey Thomas.
• Both teams combined for 34 fouls in the match including four cautions.
• Jegier made four saves in goal for the Phoenix, tying his season-high. Hofstra’s Alex Ashton made a pair of saves between the posts for the Pride.

Up Next
The Phoenix is back at home on Tuesday, Sept. 19, to host NC State at Rudd Field. That match is scheduled to begin at 7 p.m.