ELON, N.C. – The Elon University women's soccer team opens its 2014 regular season this weekend with a pair of home matches on Friday, Aug. 22, and Sunday, Aug. 24. The Phoenix hosts Jacksonville State on Friday at 7 p.m. before welcoming instate rival Appalachian State to campus on Sunday at 2 p.m.
ELON VS. JACKSONVILLE STATE: Friday night marks the second all-time meeting between Elon and Jacksonville State. Elon won the first meeting in overtime, 2-1, on Sept. 20, 2009, at the Western Carolina Tournament in Cullowhee, N.C. Former Elon standout Shannon Foley headed in the game winning goal in the 99th minute to give the maroon and gold the victory.
ELON VS. APPALACHIAN STATE: Sunday marks the 15th all-time meeting between the Phoenix and Mountaineers, who battled as league foes in the Southern Conference the previous 11 seasons. ASU leads the series, 7-5-2. The two teams battled to a 3-3 draw in last year's meeting on Sept. 29 in Boone, N.C. The last time the two squads met at Elon, the Phoenix dropped a 2-1 overtime decision on Sept. 23, 2012.
Raychel Diver is the lone player on Elon's roster with a career goal against the Mountaineers.
LOOKING AHEAD: Following this week's matches, the Phoenix wraps up a three-game home stand against the Clemson Tigers on Aug. 29 at Rudd Field. Following its Aug. 29 match against Clemson, the Phoenix hits the road for its next five matches.
LOOKING BACK: Elon won both of its preseason exhibition matches prior to this week's regular season opener. Elon topped Liberty, last year's Big South Conference champion, by a 2-0 decision on Aug. 15 at Rudd Field. The Phoenix followed up that shutout with a 5-0 win over Division II Catawba on Aug. 17.
HEAD COACH CHRIS NEAL: Elon head coach
Chris Neal is in his seventh season with the Phoenix. The 2012 Southern Conference Coach of the Year, Neal enters Friday's regular season opener with a 60-32-21 career record.
SEASON PREVIEW: The Phoenix returns 24 players from last year's squad that finished second in the Southern Conference, while welcoming in 12 newcomers. Elon returns a total six players that started more than half of the team's matches last season. Elon finished last year with a 13-3-6 mark and ended the year ranked eighth in the nation in scoring offense. The Phoenix scored in every match last season, the first such occurrence in program history. This year marks Elon's first year in the Colonial Athletic Association. The team's first league match is Sept. 26 versus Hofstra.
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