ELON, N.C. – The Elon University men's soccer team travels to Raleigh, N.C., to face No. 23 NC State on Tuesday, Oct. 22, at Dail Soccer Field for its final nonconference match of the season. That contest is scheduled for a 7 p.m. kickoff.
 
How to Follow
Tuesday's game will be broadcast live on ACC Network Extra and can be viewed on WatchESPN and the WatchESPN app. Live stats will be available at elonphoenix.com. Updates of the match will be provided on Twitter at the team's handle, @ElonMSoccer.
 
The Matchup
• The series dates back to 1974, but Elon and NC State have faced each other only eight times on the soccer pitch.
• The Wolfpack holds a 5-2-1 advantage all-time over the maroon and gold, but Elon has been unbeaten in the last two contests. Both teams battled to a scoreless draw in the most recent game in 2017.
• Elon earned a 2-0 victory the last time the two teams met in NC State in 2016.
 
Last Time Out
• Elon earned its first points during Colonial Athletic Association play with its 3-1 win over Northeastern last Saturday. The win moved the maroon and gold to 1-5 in the CAA.
• Lewis Green scored the first goal of the contest for the Phoenix inside the seventh minute. The freshman defender headed in his first career goal off a cross from Kasper Lehm to put the Phoenix on the scoreboard.
• In the 59^th minute, Mattias Cooper also tallied his first career goal on a right-footed shot near the left side of the 18.
• Elon pushed its advantage to 3-0 on a Nick Adamczyk penalty kick goal in the 70^th minute. It was also the first goal of the season for the Social Circle, Ga., native.
• Northeastern added its lone goal in the 76^th minute on a header by Timothy Ennin off a corner kick.
• The Phoenix finished with a 15-10 advantage in shots including a 7-2 edge in the first half. Northeastern won the corner kick battle, 6-4, with both teams also being even in fouls called with eight each.
 
Opening Stanza
• Elon's win over Northeastern keeps the Phoenix mathematically alive for the CAA Tournament. The Phoenix would need to win out its remaining league games and get some help to qualify for the six-team tournament.
• The Phoenix is averaging 1.71 goals per match on 13.1 shots per contest. Elon has seen 76 of those attempts go on frame at .415 percent.
• Elon has posted a 5-2-1 record in its nonconference portion of the schedule including four straight wins.
• The maroon and gold have seen 12 players find the back of the net this season. Burl Shepherd currently sits third in the league in goals with five. Iñigo Bronte is also in the top-six with his four goals scored.
• Cooper and Lehm are tied for second in the CAA in assists this season with four.
• The Phoenix has seen its first-year class make an immediate impact on the program this season. Eight rookies have been in the team rotation this season with four of them (Lehm, Cooper, Marco Vesterholm, Vemund Hole Vik) seeing time in each game.
• Peter Wentzel has started the last four matches in goal for the Phoenix. On the season, Wentzel has a 2.06 goals against average with 20 saves and a shutout in his nine matches this season.
• The Phoenix is in its third season under head coach Marc Reeves. Through his nine seasons as a head coach, Reeves is 93-62-29 overall.
• Elon welcomes back 22 letterwinners and five starters from last year's team. The Phoenix went 5-8-2 last season, but had a pair of victories against top-25 opponents (No. 20 FIU and No. 25 James Madison) while also defeating another 2018 NCAA Tournament team at High Point.
• Among the notable returners for the Phoenix includes senior defender Luke Matthews. The Swindon, England, native was a first team All-CAA selection a year ago and garnered 2019 Preseason All-CAA accolades.
• Senior striker Iñigo Bronte was also an All-CAA choice in 2018 in his first season with the Phoenix. The Pamplona, Spain, native led the Phoenix in total points (13) and goals (six).
• Elon welcomes 11 new players to its roster in 2019. Of the 11 players, eight are international players.
• Four players will don the captain armband for the Phoenix this season. Matthews returns as one of the captains for the squad while fellow seniors Josh Blank, Caner Snover and John Walden will join him among the leadership group.
• Elon closed out its 2019 exhibition schedule with a 1-0-1 record. The Phoenix earned a 2-1 victory at Davidson on Aug. 19 before closing its its preseason with a 1-1 draw versus Campbell on Aug. 24.
 
Scouting NC State
• The Wolfpack earned a 0-0 draw versus in-state rival and conference foe Duke last Friday, Oct. 18 in their most recent contest.
• NC State was ranked 23^rd in the latest United Soccer Coaches rankings that were announced last Tuesday, Oct. 15. On the season, the Wolfpack are 7-3-3 on the season and are 3-2-1 in the ACC.
• Through 13 games, NC State is averaging 1.15 goals per game. Two players, David Loera and Kuda Muskwe, paces the squad with seven points and three goals.
• Defensively, the Wolfpack have only yielded 10 goals all season. Vinnie Durand has seen the most time goal this season for NC State and has a GAA of 0.76 with 22 saves and six clean sheets.
 
Up Next
Elon hosts College of Charleston for its final home match of the season next Tuesday, Oct. 30. That match is scheduled for a 7 p.m. start time at Rudd Field.