Elon Men’s Soccer Set to Meet Triad Rival High Point

ELON, N.C. – The Elon University men’s soccer team journeys to fellow Piedmont Triad rival High Point for nonconference matchup this Saturday night, Sept. 8. The kickoff time of the contest is scheduled for 7 p.m. at Vert Stadium.

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Updates of the match this Saturday will be provided on Twitter at the program’s handle @ElonMSoccer. The game will also be broadcasted on ESPN+ via a paid subscription.

Series History
Saturday will be the 53rd all-time meet between the two longtime rivals in a series that began in 1972. High Point leads the series with a 28-12-12 ledger versus Elon, but the Phoenix has been unbeaten in the last four contests against the Panthers including three wins. Last season, Elon earned a 3-0 win versus the Panthers on its home pitch at Rudd Field.

Opening Stanza
• The Phoenix is receiving votes in the United Soccer Coaches poll for the first time this season on Tuesday, Sept. 4. It’s the first time that Elon has been receiving votes in the coaches’ poll since last season.
• Elon is currently ranked second in the nation in scoring offense at 3.67 goals per match. It also ranks third overall in the country in points per game at 10.00.
• After the release of the most recent United Soccer Coaches Top-25 rankings on Tuesday, five of the Phoenix’s 17 regular-season opponents are either ranked or receiving votes in the coaches’ poll. That number includes three teams currently ranked in the top-10 (No. 2 Duke, No. 8 UNCW and No. 10 Virginia).
• Redshirt junior forward Iñigo Bronte was tabbed as the Colonial Athletic Association’s Player of the Week on Monday, Sept. 3, after his hat trick versus Rutgers on Sunday, Sept. 2. He also had an assist in that match and currently leads the Phoenix with seven points.
• The Phoenix defeated Rutgers 8-1 in its most contest this past Sunday, Sept. 2, in Piscataway, N.J. The eight goals set a new program Division I scoring record in a single game and was the most goals in a contest for Elon in nearly 30 years.
• Bronte became the third Phoenix player in as many seasons to net a hat trick with his outing versus the Scarlet Knights. Tuki Tayali accomplished the feat last season versus Northeastern while Elijah Agu also did the same against St. Bonaventure in 2016.
• Matthew Jegier played 75 minutes in goal on Sunday versus Rutgers before being relieved by redshirt sophomore Sam Loeffler, who made his regular-season collegiate debut. It was the first time since 2016 that Jegier did not play every minute in net during a match.
• The win at Rutgers was the 84th in the career of Phoenix second-year head coach Marc Reeves. Prior to Elon, Reeves had won 75 games during his seven-year helm as the head coach at Radford from 2010-2016.

Last Time Out
Elon set a new program single-game scoring record as the Phoenix earned a 8-1 victory at Big Ten opponent Rutgers on Sunday night, Sept. 2, at Yurcak Field. Elon (2-1) earned its second straight win overall while also improving to 2-0 all-time in the series versus the Scarlet Knights, who fell to 1-3.

Bronte scored the first three goals of the contest, all within the first 30 minutes of the match. The scores were the first of the season for the Pamplona, Spain, native while John Walden, Marcel Fahrenholz, Christian Lauenborg and Josh Blank also contributed goals for the Phoenix while an own goal by Rutgers also added to the scoring tally.

Elon outshot the Scarlet Knights, 15-11, with an 8-6 advantage in the second half. The Phoenix put 12 of those shots on target compared to two for Rutgers.

Scouting High Point
High Point enters the match against the Phoenix with a perfect 4-0 record heading into its home opener this Saturday. The Panthers are coming off a 3-2 win at fellow Triad rival UNCG on Tuesday, its third straight win by at least one goal. Coming off a 10-5-4 mark in 2017 including a 7-1 ledger during Big South play, High Point was chosen as the league favorite in the 2018 Big South Preseason poll.

The Panthers have scored 10 goals so far this season with junior strikers Ilias Kosmidis (three goals) and Bana Ganidekam (three goals) accounting for six of those totals. Kosmidis is tied for the team-lead in points with seven along with first-year player Tony Pineda. Siggi Benonysson paces the squad with his four assists.

In goal, Keegan Meyer has played every minute between the posts for High Point. The redshirt junior has a goals-against average of 1.21 with 14 saves, a .737 save percentage and one shutout on the season.

Up Next
The Phoenix hosts its home-opener this Tuesday, Sept. 11, versus intrastate foe Charlotte. The first touch is slated for 7 p.m. at Rudd Field.