ELON, N.C. — Jessica Carrieri scored in the 61st minute and the Elon women's soccer team held off a valiant comeback attempt by William & Mary to record a 1-0 win and clinch a spot in the CAA Championship on Sunday at Rudd Field.
 
With the victory, the Phoenix improved to 9-5-2 overall and 5-3 in CAA play, tied for third in the league. The Tribe fell to 6-7-4 overall and 2-3-3 against conference opponents.
 
"That was a big win against a good team," said head coach Neil Payne. "I'm very pleased with the way we started the game. We moved the ball around well, and we caused them some problems. We should've scored in the first half; we had enough chances to do that. But the second half was about persevering and finding our moments, and we did that.
 
"As soon as you get the lead in this conference, you know your opponent is going to send numbers forward. So, the last 20 minutes were about grit and determination and doing your job defensively, and we've proven we can do that this year. We figured that out in the middle of the season, and ever since then, we've shown how resilient and gritty we can be."
 
THE RUNDOWN
 

• Elon came out hot out of the gate, outshooting William & Mary 4-1 over the first 14 minutes. The Tribe, however, came closest to scoring in the early going, as an attempted clearance by the Phoenix in the 17th minute was blocked and William & Mary sent a dangerous through ball toward the Elon goal. McKenna Dalfonso came charging out to make a great stop, though, before the closest Tribe player could get to the ball.
• Elon came extremely close to scoring on a pair of corner kicks midway through the first half. On the first, Kerri Coffman headed a ball off the left post in the 26th minute. Then, in the 32nd, Lydia Totten headed a ball that deflected off the goalkeeper's outstretched hand and off the right post before being cleared.
• Carrieri generated the Phoenix's first quality chance of the second half when she chased down a through ball and then sent a dangerous pass to Totten in the middle of the box. The sophomore's shot, however, sailed high.
• Finally, in the 61st minute, Elon broke through, as Totten chipped a pass into the box and Carrieri fired off a right-footed shot past the charging goalkeeper and into the lower left corner of the goal.
• William & Mary turned up the pressure from there and ultimately outshot the Phoenix 9-0 the rest of the way. The Tribe's best look came in the 64th minute, when Kenna Zier received a directly pass in front of the goal. The junior, however, missed high.

 
NOTES
 

• Dalfonso posted her 19th career shutout, moving her into sole possession for the second most in school history. She's just one shy of tying the record of 20, set by Heather Kline from 1988-91.
• Dalfonso's seven shutouts this season are tied for the seventh most by an Elon goalkeeper and are the most since Sydney Little notched seven in 2009.
• Carrieri's goal marked her third of the season, her most since scoring nine as a true freshman in 2019.
• Totten picked up her first point of the season with her assist on Carrieri's goal.
• The Phoenix finishes the regular season with a 6-2-2 ledger at Rudd Field. The six home wins are tied for its most in a season since recording seven in 2013. Elon also won six home matches in 2019.
• The Phoenix outshot William & Mary 10-2 in the first half before being outshot 10-2 in the second.

 
THE BIG PICTURE
 
Elon enters the final week of the regular season tied with Towson for third in the CAA with 15 points. The Phoenix also stands just two points behind Monmouth and Northeastern for first in the league.
 
All four teams will face each other next Sunday, when Elon visits Towson and Northeastern travels to Monmouth. Should the Phoenix beat the Tigers and the Hawks and Huskies battle to a draw, Elon would win the CAA regular-season title and claim the No. 1 seed in the conference tournament thanks to its wins over both Monmouth and Northeastern.
 
UP NEXT
 

• The Phoenix will conclude the regular season with a trip to Towson next Sunday. Kickoff is set for 1 p.m.