ELON, N.C. – The Elon University men's soccer team is back on the pitch this Saturday, Oct. 15, for a Colonial Athletic Association showdown at Hofstra. Kickoff between the Phoenix and the Pride is set for 1 p.m. at Hofstra Soccer Stadium.
 
HOW TO FOLLOW
• Saturday's match will be streamed live on FloFC via a paid subscription.
• Links for the broadcast and live stats can be found on the Elon men's soccer schedule page at elonphoenix.com.
• Other in-game updates will be provided on Twitter by following @ElonMSoccer.
 
THE MATCHUP
• Saturday's contest features the Phoenix and the Pride tied atop the league standings with 4-1-1 ledgers during CAA play. Both teams are also side-by-side in the United Soccer Coaches Atlantic Region Poll with Hofstra ranked second and Elon third, respectively.
• Hofstra holds a commanding 7-0-1 record all-time over Elon since the two teams began series play in 2014.
• Saturday's match will feature a rematch of last year's CAA championship final which also took place at Hofstra. Elon began that match with a 1-0 lead in the opening stanza thanks to a goal from Vemund Hole Vik inside the fifth minute. The Pride, however, tallied the next three goals in the second period before the Phoenix made it a one-goal game again at 3-2 in the 78^th minute. The Phoenix could not find the evasive equalizer as Hofstra held on for the win and the CAA tournament title.
 
LAST TIME OUT
• Elon posted its eighth shutout of the season in its last contest, a 0-0 draw versus William & Mary last Saturday, Oct. 8.
• Elon outshot William & Mary, 7-4, and held an opponent without a shot on goal for the second time this season.
• The lone shot on goal in the game came from the Phoenix in the 54th minute. Ben Rosenblatt found himself one-on-one versus the keeper near the top right corner of the six-yard box and fired a shot that was knocked away.
• The result moved the all-time series record between the two teams to 7-4-3 in favor of the Tribe. Elon, however, has been unbeaten in the past three games and four out of the past five meetings.
 
DOMINANT DEFENSE
• The Elon defense has posted eight clean sheets through its 12 games, tied for best in the country. The Phoenix also ranks in the top-five of the nation in shutout percentage (2^nd, .667) and goals-against average (6^th, .0.50).
• The Phoenix's eight shutouts ties for the fifth-most for the program in a single season. Elon also achieved that feat in 2016 and 1987.
• Netminder Ryan Bilichuk is tied for the NCAA-lead in shutouts with eight and is seventh in the country in GAA at 0.50. The Greenville, S.C., native is second in the CAA in save percentage at .862.
• Bilichuk moved into a tie for fifth on the program's single-season shutout list and is just two away from tying the program's all-time record of 10 held by Clint Irwin '11 and Matthew Jegier '18.
 
OPENING STANZA
• The Phoenix is off to its best start since 2016 at 7-3-2 overall. At 4-1-1 and tied atop the league standings, Elon is searching for its first CAA title since 2015 when it co-shared with Hofstra.
• The Phoenix holds an overall 139-109 advantage in shots over the opposition. Elon also has a 59-33 advantage in shots on goal, hitting the target at a .424 percent clip.
• Mason Duval leads the Phoenix in points (10) and goals (five). Overall, Elon has recorded 16 goals from 10 unique scorers this season.
• The Phoenix is coming off a 9-8-2 ledger during the 2021 fall season and advanced to the CAA Championship final for the first time in school history.
• Elon returns 21 players and seven starters in 2022 including All-CAA performers Kasper Lehm and Jannik Videbaek. The maroon and gold also welcomes back a pair of CAA All-Rookie team players in Calle Edelstam and Scott Vatne.
• Both Lehm and Videbaek were selected to the 2022 Preseason All-CAA team. The Phoenix as a team was tabbed third by the league's head coaches in the 2022 CAA Preseason Poll.
• Three players will don the captain armband for the Phoenix this season. Videbaek joins returning captains Jeppe Jordoson and Marco Vesterholm as the team captains for the 2022 season.
• Elon welcomes eight newcomers to its roster for 2022 – Gustavo Atencio, Ryan Bilichuk, Michael Clow, Myson Darden, Carlos Levy, Majaliwa Msabaha, Sumner Nenninger and Franc Gamiz Quer.
• Marc Reeves is in his sixth season as the head coach of the Phoenix. Through his 12 seasons overall as a head coach, Reeves has posted a career record of 113-81-35 with 38 of those victories coming at Elon.
 
SCOUTING HOFSTRA
• The Pride (9-2-1, 4-1-1 CAA) are on a tear as of late as Hofstra carries a nine-match unbeaten streak into Saturday's contest. The Pride earned their fourth straight win over Saint Joseph's on Tuesday, 4-0, in their most recent contest.
• Hofstra is receiving votes in the United Soccer Coaches poll.
• Reigning United Soccer Coaches National Player of the Week Eliot Goldthorp had a goal and two assists versus Saint Joseph's and paces the Pride with his 27 points. His 2.25 points per match lead the nation.
• In goal, Wessel Speel has played all 12 games for the Pride and has posted a GAA of 0.93 and has four shutouts this season.
 
UP NEXT
The Phoenix is set to host in-state and ACC foe North Carolina on its home pitch at Rudd Field on Tuesday, Oct. 18 with kickoff set for 7 p.m.