Elon Women’s Soccer Suffers 2-0 Setback at Drexel

PHILADELPHIA – Drexel scored once in each half and Elon University women’s soccer fell to the Dragons 2-0 on Sunday, Oct. 21, at Vidas Field.

BOX SCORE

Kiera Hennessy capitalized with a header for the Dragons in the 25th minute to give Drexel a 1-0 lead. Lauren Currey secured the win for the Dragons in the 80th minute with a header off Emma Heckenberg’s assist to complete the 2-0 victory.

The Phoenix falls to 3-10-3 overall and 1-7-0 in CAA action with the loss. With the results, Elon has now been eliminated from the 2018 CAA Women’s Soccer Championships. Drexel secures a spot in the postseason with the win and improves its overall mark to 7-6-5, while moving up to 4-4-1 overall in league action.

HIGHLIGHTS
In the first half, Elon nearly got on the board first as Lauren McKeever found Tori Baliatico with a through-ball in the fifth minute. However, Libby Baeza made the save on Baliatico’s shot for the Dragons.

Drexel then got on the board in the 25th minute off a corner kick as Kiera Hennessy scored with her head to give the Dragons a 1-0 lead. Just moments later, Elon put themselves into a good position to level the match, but McKeever’s attempt was saved in the 27th minute.

Drexel would attempt one more shot before the half, but Raenah Campbell’s attempt missed wide and the Dragons held a 1-0 lead at the break.

In the second half, Drexel had two early shot attempts off target, but Taylor Paradoski nearly tied the match in the 51st minute forcing Baeza to make another save for the Dragons. Grace Kiser gave the Phoenix another chance to score but her header in the 60th minute was blocked on a corner kick.

The Dragons turned up the tempo and got off several more shot attempts over the next few minutes and their pressure would finally pay off. Drexel extended its lead to 2-0 in the 80th minute as Emma Heckenberg’s corner kick found the head of Lauren Currey, solidifying the Dragons’ 2-0 victory.

Drexel outshot Elon 19-5 in the match, which included an 8-4 edge in shots on goal. The Dragons also had an 8-2 advantage in corner kicks.

Katelyn Fowler made the start in goal for the Phoenix and made two saves in 51:59 of action before she was substituted due to an injury. Valentina Estrada came in to play the last 38:01 and made four saves for Elon.

UP NEXT
The Phoenix closes out its 2018 campaign with a road matchup against the UNCW Seahawks on Tuesday, Oct. 23, at 7 p.m. UNCW needs a win to earn a spot in the 2018 CAA Championships.