ELON, N.C. – The Elon University men's soccer team is set to host College of Charleston in its final home game of the regular season on Wednesday, Oct. 30, at Rudd Field. That match is scheduled for a 7 p.m. kickoff.
 
How to Follow
Wednesday's game will be broadcast live through Elon Sports Vision. 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
• Both teams are meeting for the 22^nd time on the soccer pitch in a series going back to 2001.
• CofC holds a 12-7-2 advantage all-time over Elon in the series. The Phoenix is unbeaten however in the last five regular-season contests against the Cougars.
• In the most recent contest, Elon earned a 2-0 victory at College of Charleston last season. Iñigo Bronte scored both goals in that contest for the maroon and gold.
• The last time the two teams met in Elon, both squads played to a scoreless draw in 2017.
 
Last Time Out
• The Phoenix faced NC State on the road last Tuesday, Oct. 22, in its lone contest last week. Elon would fall to the 23^rd-ranked Wolfpack, 3-2.
• Elon took an early 2-0 lead in the second half against the Wolfpack. Jeppe Jordoson broke the scoreless stalemate in the 48^th minute for his first of the season.
• Nearly two minutes after the Phoenix's first goal, Elon pushed its lead to 2-0 on a corner kick from Sam Bacon.
• NC State would rally with three unanswered goals to eventually pull away from the Phoenix in the second half including the game-winner in the 68^th minute.
• Elon kept pressing for the equalizer, but a second yellow card issued to Jordoson in the 71^st minute forced the Phoenix to play the remainder of the game down a man.
 
CAA Championships
• The Phoenix is still alive to earn a bid for the six-team Colonial Athletic Association Tournament, scheduled to begin on Nov. 8.
• Elon would need to win both of its contest this week versus College of Charleston and at league-leader UNCW on Saturday along with a Drexel loss or tie to Delaware on Sunday to earn the final spot for the tournament.
• Five teams have clinched spots for the tournament with UNCW earning the overall No. 1 seed. James Madison, Hofstra, Northeastern and William & Mary also have qualified for the postseason.
• Along with Elon and Drexel, Delaware is also in the running for the final spot for the tournament should the Phoenix lose either of its matches this week and earn a win at home versus Drexel on Sunday.
 
Opening Stanza
• The Phoenix is averaging 1.73 goals per match on 12.9 shots per contest, tied for third in the league. Elon has seen 80 of those attempts go on frame at .415 percent.
• The maroon and gold have seen 14 players find the back of the net this season. Burl Shepherd leads the team in goals with five while Bronte is next with four.
• Mattias Cooper and Kasper Lehm are tied for the team-lead in assists this season with four each.
• 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 two of them (Lehm and Cooper) seeing time in each game.
• The Phoenix is in its third season under head coach Marc Reeves. Through his nine seasons as a head coach, Reeves is 93-63-29 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 College of Charleston
• The Cougars are 2-11-2 on the season and are 1-5-1 in the CAA standings. Wednesday's contest will be their league finale before closing out the regular season at Davidson next Tuesday.
• College of Charleston head coach Ralph Lundy is in his 33^rd season with the team and will retire at the conclusion of the year. Lundy has won over 450 games with the Cougars, the fourth-most among active coaches.
• On the season, CofC has scored 10 goals this season and is averaging 9.3 shots per contest. Redshirt senior Tucker Heffron has accounted for half of the team's goal total with his team-best five scores and 12 total points.
• Three players have manned minutes in goal this season for the Cougars. Overall, CofC has a goals-against average of 1.80 with 55 saves and four shutouts.
 
Up Next
The Phoenix travels to UNCW for its regular season finale on Saturday, Nov. 2. That game is scheduled for a 7 p.m. start.