RICHMOND, Va. – The Elon University men's soccer team had four members of its program earn recognition from the Colonial Athletic Association as the league announced its postseason awards on Thursday, Nov. 7.
 
Senior defender Luke Matthews and redshirt junior forward Tuki Tayali were tabbed as third team All-CAA honorees for the maroon and and gold. Mattias Cooper and Kasper Lehm were named to the CAA All-Rookie to round out the Phoenix's all-league players.
 
"I believe we had several seniors worthy of making the CAA All-Conference teams, but I am glad to see Luke and Tuki being recognized by the other coaches as players who have performed well this season," said Phoenix head coach Marc Reeves. "We congratulate them on the accolade and thank them and all our seniors for all they have given to the program."
 
For Matthews, it marked his fourth time earning recognition from the league and the third time he's been named to the All-CAA teams. The Swindon, England, native missed most of the first half of the season due to injury, but was able to make in impact on the Phoenix's backline in his return and scored a goal in the Phoenix's 4-1 victory over College of Charleston on Tuesday, Nov. 5.
 
"Luke in my opinion is the best defender in our league," said Reeves. "He missed quite a few games early on with an injury and I believe got back to his top form at the end of the season and we hope he can get an opportunity to play at the next level."
 
Tayali earned his first All-CAA accolade from his striker position. After missing all of 2018 due to injury, the London, England, native ranked third on the team in total points with his two goals and three assists this season. He scored the game-winning goal for the Phoenix versus Appalachian State on Sept. 17 and also scored a goal versus College of Charleston on Tuesday.
 
"Tuki has come back from some major injuries to give incredible consistent effort and a high level of play this season," said Reeves. "I am pleased other coaches valued his performances."
 
In their rookie campaigns, Cooper and Lehm have seen time in every game for the Phoenix. Lehm is tied for third on the team in total points with seven on his team-high five assists while also pacing the squad in total minutes played (1,505). He also scored a goal versus Furman at the John Rennie/Nike Invitational.
 
"We had a lot of freshmen and redshirt freshmen perform well this season and probably could have had more than just the two recognized on the All-Rookie Team," said Reeves. "This is a strong league and the teams above us had some strong impact performers also. I am happy for Kasper and Mattias to be acknowledged.
 
"Kasper started and played just about every minute of the games this fall," added Reeves. "He had a consistent impact on both sides of the ball and we love his energy and ability in games. He has adapted well to U.S. college soccer and I believe can continue to improve as a player in many areas."
 
Cooper is second on the team in assists with four and scored his first goal of the year in Elon's 3-1 win versus Northeastern. The Oslo, Norway, native has six total points on the year for the Phoenix.
 
"Mattias is a very talented young player who is always a threat and consistently has an end product to his play," said Reeves. "He is a fun player to watch and we love his speed and technique in wide areas. As he matures physically, we believe he can become a high level player in this league."