ELON, N.C.— Elon overcame an early five-goal deficit to take a second quarter lead against No. 22 Vanderbilt, but the Commodores pulled away in the second half for a 17-11 victory at Rudd Field Friday.
"I'm really proud of the effort," Head Coach
Josh Hexter said. "I thought our girls battled, like really battled every single minute of the game. So, I'm really proud of their effort and I fully believe in this team that they can do great things. We still have to get better at doing the little things, the little fundamentals. We win this game if we do that, but the effort was great."
THE RUNDOWN
- Vanderbilt found the back of the net early and jumped out to a 5-0 lead with 7:37 remaining in the first quarter. The Phoenix defense locked down and didn't allow a goal the remainder of the period. Elon went on a 4-0 run the rest of the quarter, capped by a Bella Feldmann goal assisted by Gillian Curran in the closing seconds.
- The Phoenix carried the momentum in the second quarter. Hannah McCarthy and Feldmann offered two quick goals to give Elon its first lead (6-5) with 11:51 left in the half. Both defenses allowed only three total goals the rest of the quarter and the game was deadlocked (7-7) at halftime.
- The Commodores took control in the third quarter, outscoring the Phoenix 6-1 to take a five-point lead (13-8) going into the fourth.
- Elon opened the scoring in the fourth quarter with a goal from McCarthy, cutting the lead to four at 13-9. The Commodores went on 4-1 scoring run to take a 17-10 lead with just over six minutes left in the game. Cierra Hopson found the back of the net late but the Phoenix fell short 17-11.
NOTES
- Curran had a career point day (seven) with three goals and a career high four assists. This mark ties her for fifth all time at Elon for points scored in a game. Her three goals were the senior's second hat-trick of the season.
- Bella Feldmann recorded her second hat-trick of the season with three goals on four shots. The senior also added one assist, one ground ball and one draw control.
- Hopson was the third Phoenix to record a hat-trick on the day – the first of her career. The freshman finished with three goals, one assist and one ground ball.
- McCarthy chipped in two goals on three shots off the bench.
- Elon out-controlled Vanderbilt on the draw 16-15. Margaret Stephan paced the Phoenix with a career high 10 draw controls, Curran chipped in four draws while Feldmann and Kaley Ehnow added one each.
- First year goalie Chloe Herghelegiu posted a career best eight saves (.381 save percentage).
- With the loss Elon falls to 0-3 on the season, while Vanderbilt improved to 3-0.
UP NEXT
The maroon and gold take on Coastal Carolina Sunday at 12 p.m. on Rudd Field. Currently 1-1 on the season, Coastal Carolina will be the first unranked opponent Elon sees in the 2022 campaign.
