ELON, N.C. – The Elon University men’s soccer team begins its final week of the regular-season with a trip to intrastate rival Davidson on Tuesday, Oct. 24, in its final nonconference matchup of the year. The Phoenix and the Wildcats are slated to kickoff at 7 p.m. at Alumni Soccer Stadium.
Follow @ElonMensSoccer
Fans can follow the Phoenix throughout the match on Twitter at the program’s handle @ElonMensSoccer. Other scores and updates will also be provided at the handle @elonscores. The match will be streamed online via the Atlantic 10 network at atlantic10.com.
Series History
Tuesday’s meeting will be the 14th all-time on the soccer pitch between Elon and Davidson and the first since 2015. It will also be Elon’s first visit to Davidson since the two were still members of the Southern Conference in 2013. The Phoenix holds a 10-3 all-time advantage over the Wildcats and has won the last four matchups. The last time the programs met in 2015, Elon earned a 4-0 victory at home thanks to a pair of goals from then-freshman Jaiden Fortune as well as another tally from Elijah Agu.
Last Time Out
The Phoenix closed out the home portion of its regular season with a 1-0 victory over Colonial Athletic Association foe Drexel on Saturday, Oct. 21, thanks to a first-half goal from Agu. Agu connected on his third score of the season in the 17th minute after receiving a pass from John Walden on a give-and-go about 10 yards from goal. The goal was also the 15th in Agu’s career and helped cap off a successful senior night for him and fellow classmate Jonathan Coleby.
Elon outshot the Dragons 12-3 and pushed its record to 3-0-4 when having 10 or more shots in a contest this season. The victory also moved the Phoenix to sixth in the CAA standings at 2-2-3 (nine points) moving Elon past Delaware for the final spot of the league’s six-team postseason tournament with a game to go. The win also was the 80th in the career of Phoenix first-year head coach Marc Reeves.
Jegier Moves up the Dean’s List
The shutout versus Drexel on Saturday was the 25th in the career of redshirt junior keeper Matthew Jegier, tying him with the most in program history with Nathan Dean ’14. The clean sheet was also the CAA-best ninth of the year for Jegier and the Phoenix, which is tied for the second-most in a single-season in school history. Clint Irwin ’11 holds the program’s all-time single-season mark with 10 shutouts back in 2009.
About Elon (5-4-6, 2-2-3 CAA)
The Phoenix concluded its three-match homestand with a 2-1 ledger after Saturday with the Phoenix’s lone defeat coming at the hands of second-ranked Wake Forest last Tuesday, Oct. 17. Elon will be looking for its first true win on the road this season as the maroon and gold sits at 0-3-2 in true road matches away from the home confines of Rudd Field.
Elon continues its stellar defensive play this season and is the only team in the CAA to allow single-digit goals to its opponents (eight). The Phoenix is in the top-six in the country in save percentage (.860), goals-against average (.490), goals allowed and shutout percentage (.600). Jegier has played every minute in goal this season for the Phoenix and leads the CAA in GAA, shutouts, shutouts per match (0.60) and save percentage (.852). Jegier’s GAA of 0.49 is on pace to be the best for an Elon keeper in school history, besting Kip Rackley’s 0.68 in 1987.
The Phoenix is averaging less than a goal per match this season (0.93), but has picked it up offensively in two the past three games scoring five goals. Agu paces the squad in total points with 10 on his three goals and team-high four assists. Tuki Tayali still leads the team with his four scores and 22 total shots.
Scouting Davidson (8-5-2, 3-3-1 A-10)
Davidson is coming off a 1-0 victory at Saint Louis on Saturday, snapping a two-match winless streak for the Wildcats. After coming off a 4-12-1 campaign in 2016, Davidson has doubled its win total this season and has a 5-1-2 mark at home in 2017.
The Wildcats have scored 23 goals this season and has had multi-goal contests in six of its 15 games this season. Four different players lead Davidson with three goals with Coleman Richards the team leader with eight total points. Quinn Dudek is the leading playmaker for the Wildcats with his team-high three assists.
On the opposite end of the field, Davidson has conceded 19 goals this year with opponents averaging 12.2 shots per match. The Wildcats have allowed 78 shots on goal at nearly 43 percent with the opposition scoring the post in the first half with 11 scores. Two players have shared time between the posts for Davidson as the Wildcats as a team have a 1.22 GAA with 59 saves and five shutouts.
Up Next
Elon closes out the regular-season with a CAA contest at Delaware on Saturday, Oct. 28. Kickoff between the Phoenix and the Blue Hens will start at 7 p.m. The winner of that match will clinch the final spot for the league tournament.