2013 NCAA Tournament First Round
Rudd Field // Elon, N.C. |
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NCAA Tournament Bracket | NCAA Interactive Bracket
ELON, N.C. – For the first time in school history, the Elon University men's soccer team will host an NCAA Tournament first round match as the Phoenix welcomes Clemson to Rudd Field on Thursday, Nov. 21. The first kick is scheduled at 7 p.m.
Ticket Information
As an official NCAA postseason event, there will be an admission charge to all spectators. Those with a student ID can purchase game tickets for $3 (non-Elon students) while general admission tickets are $5. Fans wanting to purchase tickets in advance can do so by contacting the Elon Athletics Ticket Office at 336.278.6750. Fans can also purchase tickets on game day Rudd Field beginning at 6 p.m.
Elon students will be admitted free of charge with a valid Phoenix Card. Students MUST show their Phoenix card at the entrance to Rudd Field on game day. No student tickets will be handed out prior to the gates opening at 6 p.m.
Live Video
The NCAA Tournament match will be streamed live online free of charge at elonphoenix.com. Matt Krause (play-by-play) and Rajat Agarwal (color) will provide the call of the match.
Follow the Phoenix
In addition, fans can follow the match through Gametracker from the live stats link on the men's soccer schedule page at elonphoenix.com. Live updates will also be provided on Twitter at the handle
@ElonScores and
@ElonMensSoccer.
Elon in the NCAAs
The Phoenix is making its third straight and third overall appearance in the NCAA Tournament. Elon will be seeking its first win in the national tournament after falling in its previous two tries, both at Coastal Carolina in 2011 and 2012. This will also be the first NCAA event on the campus of Elon since transitioning to the Division I level.
Series History
Elon holds a slight 3-2-1 record all-time over the Tigers in a series that dates back to 1998. The Phoenix has won the past three meetings, including a 1-0 victory in the most recent contest in 2011 at Rhodes Stadium. Chris Thomas scored the lone goal in the contest for the maroon and gold while keeper
Nathan Dean had two saves in the shutout.
Phoenix Earns Three-peat at SoCon Championships
Elon earned its third straight Southern Conference Tournament title on Sunday, Nov. 17, with a 1-0 double-overtime win over Wofford in Greenville, S.C. Elon joined Furman (1999-2001) as the only other team in conference history to win three consecutive league tournament titles.
Jason Waterman netted the game-winning golden goal in the 102
nd minute and was selected as the tournament's Most Outstanding Player. Waterman,
Nick Butterly,
Charles Howard and
Daniel Lovitz were all tabbed to the SoCon's All-Tournament team.
Scouting Elon
Elon (15-4-2) enters Thursday's match currently ranked No. 18 by
College Soccer America and No. 22 in the
College Soccer News poll. The Phoenix also sits ranked 24
th in the latest NSCAA/Continental Tire poll released on Tuesday, Nov. 19.
Waterman leads the Phoenix with 29 points, sitting 12
th in the nation in total points. The Bloomington, Ind., native has a team-best 11 goals on the year to go with seven assists. Sophomore
James Brace has been instant offense off the bench this season with 10 goals and 24 total points despite starting only seven matches. Senior
Matt Wescoe is tied with Waterman for the team-lead in assists with seven while tallying five goals in 2013.
Elon has scored 38 goals on the year while giving up 21 to its opponents. The maroon and gold has also posted seven total shutouts on the year, with six attributed to Dean. The junior netminder owns a 0.95 GAA to go with 67 saves and a .761 save percentage.
Scouting Clemson
The Tigers (11-7-2) earned an at-large bid to the 2013 NCAA Tournament, its first since 2006. Clemson was one of six Atlantic Coast Conference (ACC) teams to make the tournament field after finishing fifth in the league standings with 5-4-2 mark. The Tigers are ranked No. 24 by
College Soccer America while receiving votes in both the most recent NSCAA and the
College Soccer News polls.
Thomas McNamara tops the Tigers offensively with 22 points (seven goals, eight assists) followed by teammate Ara Amirkhanian with 15 points and six goals. Manolo Sanchez is the only other Tiger with double-digit points with 13.
In goal, Andrew Tarbell has seen the most action for Clemson with a 6-6-2 record and four shutouts to his credit. He has posted a GAA of 1.03 to go with 34 saves.
Powell, Lovitz Named SoCon Coach and Player of the Year
Elon head coach
Darren Powell and Lovitz were tabbed as the Southern Conference Coach and Player of the Year, respectively, giving the Phoenix the sweep of the awards for the second straight season. This is the fourth league Coach of the Year accolade for Powell, who led the Phoenix to a school-record 13 regular-season wins at the Division I level in 2013.
Lovitz became the third Elon player to earn the league's Player of the Year honor, joining Justin Wyatt (2008) and Chris Thomas (2010, 2012). The Wyndmoor, Pa., native has scored four goals – including three game winners – and has six assists on the season for 18 total points. Lovitz scored the lone goal in the Phoenix's 1-0 win over then No. 9 Wake Forest on Sept. 17 and converted the game-winning penalty kick in the maroon and gold's 2-1 win over then No. 5/6 Coastal Carolina on Oct. 29.
Seven Phoenix Players Honored
Elon had a SoCon-high seven players selected to the All-conference teams on Tuesday, Nov. 12. In addition to Lovitz, who received first team all-league honors, Waterman (first team), Dean (first team), Wescoe (second team), Butterly (second team), Brace (second team) and junior defender
Austin Dunker (second team) also received All-SoCon laurels.
Powell Becomes Elon's All-Time Wins Leader
Powell became the program's all-time winningest coach on Sunday with his 94
th career win at the school. The ninth-year head coach passed Steve Ballard's (1978-87) 26-year record of 93 victories and has posted five double-digit win seasons at Elon. In the previous 32 years prior to Powell's arrival, the program had produced only seven double-digit winning seasons total.
On the Horizon
The winner of Thursday's match will head to California for a matchup with the tournament's No. 1 overall seed, UCLA, in Los Angeles, Calif., on Sunday, Nov. 24. That match is currently scheduled for an 8 p.m. PST kickoff.
-- ELON --
