ELON, N.C. — Looking to stay in the hunt for the CAA regular-season title, the Elon women's soccer team welcomes William & Mary to Rudd Field on Sunday for its final regular-season home match. Kickoff is slated for 1 p.m.
 
Sitting at 8-5-2 overall and 4-3 in CAA play, the Phoenix enters its final two regular-season matches tied with Towson for fourth in the CAA with 12 points. It also stands just two points behind Drexel, Monmouth and Northeastern for first in the league.
 
COVERAGE

• Live stats can be found here.
• The match can be streamed on FloSports.

SERIES HISTORY VS. WILLIAM & MARY

• Elon is 3-3-2 all-time against William & Mary.
• The Phoenix and Tribe battled to a scoreless draw in last year's meeting in Williamsburg, Va. McKenna Dalfonso totaled a career-high eight saves for Elon.
• Sunday's match will be the first between the two teams at Rudd Field since a 3-2 Phoenix victory on Oct. 3, 2019. Kayla Hodges and Taylor Paradoski each scored to give Elon a 2-0 lead, and after the Tribe tied the score with a pair of goals in the final seven minutes of regulation, Jessica Carrieri notched the game-winner in the 101st minute.

LAST TIME OUT

• Abby Fusca scored in the seventh minute and the Phoenix never looked back en route to a dominant 2-0 win over Hampton on Thursday at Rudd Field.
• Ashlee Brehio scored Elon's other goal in the 59th minute, pouncing on a deflected shot by Beky Myers and slotting the ball into the lower left corner of the goal for a 2-0 lead.
• The Phoenix's 32 shots marked its most since tallying 33 against Gardner-Webb on Sept. 9, 2021.
• Hampton's three shots were the fewest by an Elon opponent since Gardner-Webb posted three in that same match last season.
• The shutout marked the Phoenix's sixth of the season.

ON THE ATTACK

• Elon's 25 goals are its most through 15 matches since opening the 2019 season with 36. That stretch included an eight-goal effort against Hampton.
• The Phoenix scored 21 goals all last season.
• Through Thursday's games, Elon ranked in the top 100 nationally in corner kicks per game (5.8, 57th), total goals (25, 82nd), shots on goal per game (6.47, 88th), total points (67, 94th), goals per game (1.67, 95th) and shots per game (13.73, 98th).
• Eight players (Ashlee Brehio, Rachel Buckle, Jessica Carrieri, Abby Fusca, Bethany Harford, Kennedy Jones, Molly Mahoney and Isa Murdock) have scored, with Brehio leading the way with six goals. The Phoenix has also benefitted from two own goals.
• The freshman trio of Brehio, Buckle and Murdock has played a key role in Elon's success, combining for 21 (eight goals and five assists) of the Phoenix's 47 points over the last 11 matches. They tallied four points (two goals) in Elon's first four matches.
• The Phoenix entered the year looking to replace 66.7 percent (14-of-21) of its goals from last season, including its top scorer in Carson Jones (six goals).

BREHIO'S BREAKOUT

• Despite being a true freshman, Ashlee Brehio leads Elon in goals (six), points (12), shots (37) and shots on goal (18).
• The Hopkinton, N.H., native's six goals are tied for the third most by a Phoenix freshman since 2002 and are the most since Jessica Carrieri scored nine in 2019.
• Brehio is looking to become the first freshman to lead Elon in goals since Meredith Christopher scored seven en route to being named the 2017 CAA Rookie of the Year.

BEKY'S BIG WEEK

• Senior co-captain Beky Myers anchored the Elon defense as it posted shutouts against Northeastern and Monmouth on Sept. 22 and 25. For her efforts, she was named the CAA Defensive Player of the Week and earned an honorable mention spot on the TopDrawerSoccer.com National Team of the Week.
• Myers notched an assist while playing all 90 minutes in Elon's 2-0 victory over Northeastern.
• Myers followed that effort with another stellar performance in a 1-0 win over Monmouth, playing 79 minutes as the Phoenix handed the Hawks their second loss and first shutout in 10 games.
• On the year, Myers has played 1,186 minutes while starting all 15 games. Her five assists lead the team and are one more than her total over her first three seasons.

FABULOUS FUSCA

• Thursday's match against Hampton marked the 78th of Abby Fusca's career, moving her into a five-way tie for the sixth most among field players in program history. Claire O'Keeffe (2009-12) and Chelsey Stark (2010-13) hold the record of 82.
• Fusca's 71 starts are also tied for the sixth most by a Phoenix field player since the statistic started being tracked in 1992.
• The fifth-year defender/midfielder has been sensational this season, posting career highs in goals (four), points (10), shots (25) and shots on goal (15) while averaging 79.2 minutes.

DOMINANT DALFONSO

• With six shutouts this season, McKenna Dalfonso is up to 18 for her career, tied with Kris Porter (1986-87) for the second most in school history. Heather Kline holds the record of 20, set from 1988-91.
• Dalfonso's six shutouts this season are tied for the 36th most in the country.
• Dalfonso's 1.13 career goals against average is tied for the fifth best in Elon history (min. 25 games).
• Dalfonso has logged 3,735 career minutes, the sixth most by a Phoenix goalkeeper since the statistic started being tracked in 1988. She's also tied for fourth among goalkeepers in games started (statistic kept since 1992) and tied for eighth in games played at 41.
• Katrin Hauksdottir drew the start in goal for Elon's Senior Day match against Longwood on Sept. 11. It marked the first time a goalkeeper not named Dalfonso started for the Phoenix since she arrived on campus before the spring 2021 season, a span of 33 matches.

CONSISTENT KENNEDY

• Midfielder Kennedy Jones has played 1,221 of 1,350 possible minutes (90.4%) this season. She's averaged 87.2 over 14 matches and gone the full 90 in eight of her last 11.
• This comes after she played 688 minutes over 16 matches (43 per game) as a true freshman last season.
• Said head coach Neil Payne: "As a staff, we've been really impressed with Kennedy because we've asked her to adjust her game over the last year or so, and she's bought into that. You can see the positive changes within her game that are allowing her to play to such a high standard. We've been very impressed with how she's adapted."

PRESEASON CAA POLL & ALL-CAA TEAM

• Elon was picked to finish sixth in the 2022 CAA Preseason Poll. UNCW was selected as the conference's preseason favorite, collecting seven of 12 first-place votes.
• Midfielder Abby Fusca and defender Katie Lowe earned preseason honorable mention All-CAA honors.
• Fusca started all 16 matches she appeared in last season and finished fifth on the team in total points and tied for the team lead in assists with three. The Vienna, Va., native was second on the squad in shots on goal and manned 1,469 minutes on the pitch – third most among Elon returners.
• Lowe tied Fusca in the team lead in assists with three and started all 17 games on the backline for the Phoenix last fall. The Charlotte, N.C., native played 1,546 minutes last year, the most among returning position players. Lowe also received preseason honorable mention All-CAA recognition last season.

SCOUTING WILLIAM & MARY

• The Tribe is 6-6-4 overall and 2-2-3 in CAA play, tied for seventh in the league.
• William & Mary was picked to finish ninth in the CAA Preseason Poll.
• The Tribe went 4-9-3 overall and 2-4-3 in CAA play last season, finishing seventh in the league.
• William & Mary is led by freshman Ivey Crain, who is third in the CAA in points (21), tied for third in goals (eight) and tied for ninth in assists (five). Senior Kayleigh Shackford is tied for second in the league in assists with six.

UP NEXT 

• Elon will conclude the regular season with a trip to Towson next Sunday, Oct. 23. Kickoff is set for 1 p.m.