Elon MSOC Phoenix Plays Host to Nationally Ranked UNCW on Wednesday

ELON, N.C. – The Elon University men’s soccer team hosts No. 12 UNCW this Wednesday, Oct. 10, for a Colonial Athletic Association contest at Rudd Field. The Phoenix and the Seahawks will kickoff the match at a scheduled time of 7 p.m.

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Follow @ElonMSoccer
Updates of the match on Wednesday will be provided on Twitter at the program’s handle @ElonMSoccer. The game will also be streamed on Phoenix All-Access at elonphoenix.com. For the latest on the Elon men’s soccer team, follow @ElonMSoccer on Twitter, Instagram and Facebook, as well as on the web at elonphoenix.com.

Series History (Elon leads 5-3-2)
Both programs will meet on the soccer pitch for the 11th time this Wednesday in a series dating back to 2005. Elon holds a slight 5-3-2 advantage over its instate rival and is 2-1-1 versus the Seahawks since joining the CAA in 2014. UNCW earned its first victory over the Phoenix as league opponents last season with a 2-1 win in Wilmington, N.C.

Jegier Selected as Candidate for Senior CLASS Award
On Sept. 19, redshirt senior goalkeeper Matthew Jegier was selected as one of 30 candidates for the 2018 Senior CLASS Award in collegiate soccer. To be eligible for the award, a student-athlete must be classified as an NCAA Division I senior and have notable achievements in four areas of excellence: community, classroom, character and competition.

Jegier became the third member of the program to be selected as a candidate for the award following Clint Irwin (2010) and Steven Kinney (2009). An acronym for Celebrating Loyalty and Achievement for Staying in School®, the Senior CLASS Award focuses on the total student-athlete and encourages students to use their platform in athletics to make a positive impact as leaders in their communities.

Opening Stanza
• The Phoenix is carrying a current six-match winless streak into the match after its 1-0 setback last Wednesday, Oct. 3, against Delaware. Each contest has been highly competitive with four matches going into overtime and four out of six being decided by just one goal.
• The Phoenix has accounted for 16 goals this season, just two off the entire total from last season. Elon is averaging 1.60 goals per match and has the second highest goal scoring game in the country with its eight goals at Rutgers on Sept. 2.
• Redshirt junior striker Iñigo Bronte netted a hat trick against the Scarlet Knights becoming the third Phoenix player in the past three seasons to achieved that feat. The Pamplona, Spain, native was selected as the CAA Player of the Week for his performance on Sept. 3.
• Bronte leads the Phoenix in total points with nine on his team-high four goals and an assist. He also has 36 shots this season for Elon, over 26 more than the next closest player for the Phoenix.
• As a team, Elon is outshooting its opponents 109-103 with 42 of those attempts coming on target nearly 39 percent. The Phoenix is also winning the corner battle over the opposition, 47-37.
• Eleven different players have found the back of the net for at least one goal this season for Elon after having just seven different goal scorers for all of 2017.
• UNCW will be the second ranked team that the Phoenix will face on its schedule so far in 2018. The Phoenix earned a 3-0 victory over No. 20 FIU at the John Rennie/Nike Invitational on Aug. 26.
• Elon head coach Marc Reeves is five victories shy of claiming No. 90 in his collegiate coaching career. Reeves boasts a career record of 85-54-27 with 75 of those wins coming as the head coach at Radford for seven seasons (2010-2016).

Scouting No. 12 UNCW
The Seahawks (8-2-1, 3-0-1 CAA) were ranked No. 12 in the latest United Soccer Coaches Association poll and were 16th in the NCAA Men’s Soccer RPI rankings – the highest-ranked team from the CAA. UNCW is unbeaten in five of its last six matches and is coming off a 2-1 victory at Drexel in its most recent contest on Saturday, Oct. 6.

UNCW leads the league in nearly every offensive statistical category including shots per game (14.27), points (70), goals (23), goals per match (2.09) and assists (24). Emil Elveroth leads the league in total points (17) and is tied for the CAA-lead in goals with seven. Phillip Goodrum is also in the top-three of the conference in total points with 11 and leads the Seahawks with four assists.

Defensively, UNCW has also been one of the top units in the league as the Seahawks have allowed a CAA-low seven goals with a league-best 0.62 goals-against average. Ryan Cretens has played all but 18 minutes in goal this season for the Seahawks and paces the league in GAA (0.64) and save percentage (.833) while adding six shutouts to his stat line.

Up Next
The Phoenix is back on the road for a CAA match this Saturday, Oct. 13, at College of Charleston. Kickoff against the Cougars is slated for a 7 p.m. start at the Patriots Point Complex in Mt. Pleasant, S.C.