ELON, N.C. – Elon University women's soccer has won 5 of its first 6 games to start the season after defeating UNC Asheville 5-0 at Rudd Field on Sunday, Sept. 8.

"Well this win wasn't just about our performance tonight, it was about the weekend," said head coach Neil Payne. "We lost last weekend at Furman after a great start to the season, so we were disappointed with the way things turned out against Furman. We didnt play like we should have played in that game. So, we fixed that throughout the week and really went to work on certain things. On Thursday this week, we had close to a seven hour round trip to Richmond and got a good win against a good team. Today, it just felt like the momentum we got from that game really carried over to today against UNC Asheville."
 
Prior to the game, the Phoenix also honored eight student-athletes for their contributions to the program over the past few seasons.
 
"They're a great group of players," Payne explained. " It's not about playing time, it's about their influence with raising the standards for our program. It's about the influence that they've had on the entire performance environment whether its on the field, in the community or academically, they've improved this program during their time here. I was really happy that they all played and that they all performed well on the pitch today. It's truly a special group, and I'm glad that all of the other players were able to honor everything they've done for this program by getting the win."
 
With the win, the Phoenix moved to 5-1 overall, marking the best start for the program since 2015. UNC Asheville moved to 1-4-0 with the loss.
 
HIGHLIGHTS
Elon applied pressure from the opening kick, forcing two saves on near goals in the opening 15 minutes of the contest. The Phoenix's defense also performed well early, preventing the Bulldogs from scoring on their first two shot attempts of the afternoon.
 
The Phoenix took a 1-0 lead in the 24^th minute on Sarah Bevington's first goal of the season. The chance came on a beautiful cross from Hannah Doherty that floated into the box where Bevington finished it off with a header that found the bottom left corner of the net.
 
A few minutes later, Jessica Carrieri broke free down the sideline and took advantage of an opportunity for a cross. Her perfectly timed pass across the box gave the streaking Beky Myers just enough time to get free from a defender in the box and finish off the goal. The play put the Phoenix on top 2-0 with just under 12 minutes to play in the first half.
 
One minute later, in the 34^th minute, Carson Jones intercepted a UNC Asheville pass to the back line and earned a one-on-one opportunity against the Bulldogs keeper. Jones did not disappoint as she fired a shot from just inside the 18-yard box that found the back of the net. The goal gave Jones a team-leading four on the season, and extended Elon's lead to 3-0 heading into halftime.
 
The Phoenix kept up the pressure early in the second half, attacking from the opening kick. In the 57^th minute, Grace Kiser got free in the box and finished off a perfect cross from Jasmine Bryant for the first goal of her collegiate career. The play extended Elon's lead to 2-0 just twelve minutes in to the final 45.
 
Elon came out firing in the second half as well, rattling off four shots and three corner kicks in the first 18 minutes of action after the break. The Bulldogs defense was able to keep the Phoenix out of the net however, as the score remained 3-0 with about 28 minutes to play in the game.
 
With just over five minutes remaining in the match, Kayla Hodges scored her first goal of the season to extend Elon's lead to 4-0. The goal came on a beautiful cross from Doherty before being headed into the back of the net by Hodges. Doherty earned the assist on the play, marking her second of the game and fourth on the season.
 
Elon's final goal came on a penalty kick by Olivia Kraebel in the 87^th minute. Her attempt found the back of the net to push the Phoenix lead to 5-0 and give her the first goal she's scored this season.
 
In the match, the Phoenix racked up a 22-4 advantage in shots, including a 15-2 advantage in shots on goal, and a 4-2 advantage in corner kicks. Elon's five goals scored tonight also set a new season high in the category.

Katrin Hauksdottir earned her fifth win in goal for the Phoenix, making two saves on the way to her third clean sheet this season.

UP NEXT
Elon hosts Liberty on Thursday, Sept. 12, at Rudd Field. That match is scheduled to begin at 7 p.m.