Post-Match Comments

HIGH POINT, N.C. – A header goal by Luke Matthews inside the 40^th minute proved to be the difference maker as the Elon University men's soccer team earned a 2-1 victory over its Piedmont Triad rival High Point on Saturday night, Sept. 8, at Vert Stadium.
 
The win was the Phoenix's third straight to improve to 3-1 on the season. Elon also pushed its unbeaten streak to five matches versus the Panthers (4-1), who suffered their first setback of the season in their home opener.
 
The Rundown
Elon had the first real chance of the match inside the third minute. The Phoenix forced an early corner kick, but the set piece resulted in a wide shot from Jack Willbye.
 
High Point took the lead inside the 19^th minute. Jonathan Bolanos scored his first goal of the season from near the top of the 18-yard area as the Panthers moved ahead 1-0.
 
The lead was short-lived as the Phoenix leveled the match in the 20^th minute on a goal by Asger Hausted Andersen. The Aarhus, Denmark, native dribbled the ball the length of the field before finishing near the right post to knot the game at one-all.
 
Elon took the lead later in the 40^th minute. Jack Edwards played a ball near the top of the 18-yard area with the keeper charging at him. The striker attempted to sneak the ball past him, but the netminder was able to get a slight touch on it before the ball was knocked out of bounds by a defender to give Elon a corner.
 
Willbye took the assignment and the ball was able to find the head of Matthews, who headed it in for his first score of the season. The set piece put the Phoenix ahead 2-1, who took that advantage into the half.
 
The Phoenix dominated in shots in the opening stanza, 6-1, with three attempts on goal compared to one for the Panthers. Elon also had a 3-1 lead in corner opportunities over High Point.
 
The second half saw High Point push numbers forward in an attempt to chase the equalizer. The Panthers' best chance came with just a few seconds left in the contest as a free kick found the head of Johnny Fenwick, who flicked it towards the goal. Despite that close opportunity for High Point, the Phoenix's Matthew Jegier corralled the ball for the save as Elon held off the Panthers to escape with the 2-1 victory.
 
Elon concluded the match with a 8-6 victory in shots with both teams having four of those on target. The Phoenix also added one more corner to its final total to secure the win on corners, 4-2.
 
Matthew Jegier played all 90 minutes in goal and had three saves on the match for Elon. His counterpart, Keegan Meyer, had two stops while also playing every minute of the match.
 
Up Next
The Phoenix hosts its home-opener on Tuesday, Sept. 11, versus in-state foe Charlotte at Rudd Field. Kickoff for that match is scheduled for 7 p.m.