ELON, N.C. – The Elon University men's soccer team is set to host Drexel on Saturday night, Oct. 5, in a pivotal Colonial Athletic Association contest at Rudd Field. That match is slated for a 7 p.m. kickoff.
 
How to Follow
Saturday's game will be broadcast live on 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.
 
Match Promotion
• The program will be giving away its soccer scarves to the first 100 Elon students at the match.
 
The Matchup
• Elon holds a 4-1 all-time advantage over the Dragons in a series going back to 2014 when the Phoenix joined the CAA.
• Drexel's lone victory of the series came last year when the Dragons prevailed with a 3-2 victory in overtime on its home pitch.
• The last time Elon hosted Drexel at home, the Phoenix came away with a 1-0 win over the Dragons in 2017.
 
Last Time Out
• The Phoenix last played on Saturday, Sept. 28, at Delaware. Elon would fall to the Blue Hens to a score of 3-2.
• Elon's Iñigo Bronte scored a pair of goals for the Phoenix, his third multi-goal game of his career. Bronte tallied his goals in the 10^th and the 56^th minute for the brace.
• The Phoenix dominated the Blue Hens in total shots, 13-5, with nine coming on target. Delaware however was able to convert on three of its four shots on goal in the contest.
 
Matthews Named Senior CLASS Award Candidate
• Senior defender Luke Matthews was named a candidate for the 2019 Senior CLASS Award on Monday, Sept. 23. The award recognizes a NCAA Division I senior and have notable achievements in four areas of excellence: community, classroom, character and competition.
• Matthews is among 30 candidates identified for the annual honor for men's soccer. He becomes the fourth member of the program to be selected as a candidate following Matthew Jegier (2018), Clint Irwin (2010) and Steven Kinney (2009).
 
Phoenix Earns Team Academic Award
• For the 11^th time out of the past 12 years, the Phoenix earned a Team Academic Award for the 2018-19 academic school year from the United Soccer Coaches as announced on Thursday, Oct. 3.
• Elon was one of 345 teams on the men's side to earn the award. The Phoenix posted a cumulative 3.41 grade-point-average during the 2018-19 academic school year. That total was the second-highest among men's programs from the Colonial Athletic Association with UNCW posting a higher average at 3.63.
 
Opening Stanza
• Elon will be looking for its first three points of the CAA season after falling to 0-3 in league play at Delaware.
• The Phoenix is averaging 1.56 goals per match on 13.1 shots per contest. Elon has seen 50 of those attempts go on frame at .424 percent.
• The maroon and gold have seen nine players find the back of the net this season. Bronte paces the squad with his three goals and six points. His three goals are tied for fifth in the CAA while his 19 shots are also in the top-10 of the league.
• Rookie Mattias Cooper is tied for the CAA-lead in assists this season with three. The Oslo, Norway, native has tallied an assist in each of the team's last two games.
• 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 five of them (Kasper Lehm, Cooper, Marco Vesterholm, Vemund Hole Vik and Jeppe Jordoson) seeing time in each game.
• Redshirt sophomore keeper Alex Lorne has started the past four matches in goal for the Phoenix. Overall, the Jacksonville, Fla., native has a goals-against average of 1.33 on the season with 12 saves and a pair of shutouts.
• The Phoenix is in its third season under head coach Marc Reeves. Through his nine seasons as a head coach, Reeves is 90-60-29 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 Drexel
• The Dragons enter Saturday's matchup with an identical 3-5-1 record to the Phoenix, but are 1-2 in the CAA. Drexel earned a 2-1 victory over William & Mary for its lone league victory of the season so far.
• Drexel's last contest was a 3-1 setback at the hands of No. 20 James Madison last Saturday in Harrisonburg, Va.
• Doug Hess is in his 10^th season at the helm of the Drexel men's soccer program. He owns a 130-165-31 career record in 16 seasons as a head coach.
• The Dragons have scored 12 total goals this season (1.33 per match) on 10.3 shots per game. Drexel has 41 shots on target at .441 percent.
• Sophomore striker Chris Donovan leads the Dragons with his five goals and 11 total points. The Paoli, Pa., native ranks second in the league in both categories.
• Two players have seen time in goal this season for the Dragons. Overall, the team has a 1.62 GAA with 35 saves and a shutout.
 
Up Next
The Phoenix heads to William & Mary for a midweek contest on Wednesday, Oct. 9. That match is slated for a 7 p.m. kickoff.