NEWARK, Del. – The Elon University men's soccer team dropped a hard-fought battle at Delaware on Saturday night, Sept. 28, as the Phoenix fell to the Blue Hens by a score of 3-2 at Stuart and Suzanne Grant Stadium.
 
Elon fell to 3-5-1 on the year and 0-3 during Colonial Athletic Association play while the Blue Hens improved to 2-3-2 overall and 1-1-1 in the CAA. The Phoenix's Iñigo Bronte had his first multi-goal match of the season, but his brace was not enough to lift Elon to its first league points of the season.
 
The Rundown
The Phoenix struck first in the opening half of the match as Bronte took advantage of an errant pass from the Blue Hens deep in Elon's offensive third. The Pamplona, Spain, native took a shot just inside the box that deflected off the keeper, but was able to roll into the goal for an early Phoenix lead 10 minutes in.
 
However, the Blue Hens were able to tie the match just before the end of the opening stanza. With time winding down in the first period, Delaware's Rex Twum played a deflection off a Phoenix defender and fired a close shot into the top left corner to tie the match at 1-1 with just over a minute left in the half.
 
Bronte responded for the Phoenix in the 56^th minute. The redshirt senior played the ball off a great sequence of passes from Mattias Cooper and Kasper Lehm to earn the brace and put the maroon and gold back up, 2-1.
 
Delaware tied it up once again four minutes later. The Blue Hens' Brandon Sengphachanh headed in a ball off a cross for the equalizer and knotted the score at two-all. Two minutes after that, Delaware broke the tie to gain the lead thanks to a Jake Steinberg shot from 10 yards that trickled in past the defense, giving the Blue Hens a 3-2 lead.
 
Elon had a couple of great opportunities to level the match down the stretch. Nick Adamczyk played a ball down the right hand side a fired a shot that was saved by the netminder in the 73^rd minute. In the 84^th minute, John Walden headed a cross from a feed from Burl Shepherd, but his attempt went high of the mark.
 
The Phoenix could not find the equalizer, falling in the match to the Blue Hens, 3-2. Elon led in total shots in the match, 13-5, with nine coming on goal. The Blue Hens however had four of their five attempts on frame and made seven saves at the other end.
 
Up Next
The Phoenix will be off for a week before hosting Drexel next Saturday, Oct. 5, on its home pitch at Rudd Field. Kickoff of that match is scheduled for 7 p.m.