ELON, N.C. — Off to its best-ever start to CAA play, the Elon women's soccer team (6-2-2, 2-0-0 CAA) begins a four-match road swing Thursday when it visits Delaware. The contest, set for 7 p.m., will be the Phoenix's first of the season outside of North Carolina.
 
COVERAGE

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

SERIES HISTORY VS. DELAWARE

• Elon is 2-4-2 all-time against Delaware.
• The Phoenix and Blue Hens battled to a 1-all draw in last year's meeting at Rudd Field. Carson Jones scored Elon's only goal, knotting the score less than two minutes after Delaware seized a 1-0 lead.
• The Phoenix's last win in the series came on Oct. 19, 2017, at Delaware. Sydney Schilling and Grace Bennett each scored in a 2-1 victory, with Bennett producing the game-winner in the 83rd minute.

LAST TIME OUT

• Isa Murdock scored off a set piece in the 53rd minute and Elon rode a dominant defensive performance to a 1-0 victory over Monmouth on Sunday.
• The win gave the Phoenix its first 2-0 start to CAA play since joining the conference before the 2014 season. The start is the Phoenix's best in any sort of league play since winning its first three SoCon matches in 2009.
• The shutout marked Elon's second in as many CAA matches. It's the first time the Phoenix has opened any sort of conference play with consecutive clean sheets since 2000, when Elon was a member of the Big South.
• Murdock's goal, her third of the season, moved her into a tie with Ashlee Brehio and Abby Fusca for the team lead in points (eight).
• Emilia Cappellett recorded her second assist of the season and career on Murdock's goal. The other, which came in the Phoenix's 2-1 win against UNCG on Sept. 16, also came on a set piece that produced a game-winner.

BEKY'S BIG WEEK

• Senior co-captain Beky Myers anchored the Elon defense as it posted shutouts against Northeastern and Monmouth last week. For her efforts, she was named the CAA Defensive Player of the Week and earned an honorable mention spot on the TopDrawerSoccer.comNational Team of the Week.
• Myers notched an assist while playing all 90 minutes in Elon's 2-0 victory over Northeastern. The assist — which came on Bethany Harford's goal in the seventh minute — was her third of the year, good for the team lead and a career high.
• Myers followed that effort with another stellar performance in Sunday's 1-0 win over Monmouth, playing 79 minutes as the Phoenix handed the Hawks their second loss and first shutout in 10 games this season.

HEATING UP

• Elon enters Thursday's match on a six-game unbeaten streak, its longest since an eight-game stretch from Aug. 30-Sept. 25, 2015.
• During this stretch, the Phoenix has outshot its opponents 92-44, holds a 47-12 edge in shots on goal and has conceded just two goals.
• The freshman trio of Ashlee Brehio, Rachel Buckle and Isa Murdock has played a key role in this stretch, combining for 16 (six goals and four assists) of Elon's 32 points. They tallied four points (two goals) in the Phoenix's first four matches.
• All four of Brehio's team-best four goals have come in this stretch.

ON THE ATTACK

• Elon's 20 goals are its most through 10 matches since opening the 2019 season with 27. That stretch included an eight-goal effort against Hampton.
• The Phoenix didn't score its 20th goal until its 17th and final match last season.
• Through Tuesday's games, Elon ranked in the top 80 nationally in goals per game (2.00, 64th), total goals (20, 65th), shots on goal per game (6.70, 73rd), points per game (5.40, 73rd), shot accuracy (50.4%, 74th) and total points (54, 79th).
• 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 four goals. The Phoenix has also benefitted from two own goals.
• Brehio's four goals are the most by an Elon freshman through 10 matches since Jessica Carrieri scored five to begin the 2019 season. Carrieri went on to finish the year with nine goals, earning her a spot on the All-CAA third team and the all-rookie team.
• 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).

DOMINANT DALFONSO

• With five shutouts this season, McKenna Dalfonso is up to 17 for her career, tied with Tracy Shuford (1990-93) for the fourth most in school history. Heather Kline holds the record of 20, set from 1988-91.
• Dalfonso's five shutouts this season are tied for the 23rd most in the country.
• Dalfonso's 1.01 career goals against average is the fifth best in Elon history (min. 25 games) and the 48th best among active Division I goalkeepers (min. 2,500 minutes).
• Dalfonso has logged 3,285 career minutes, the seventh most by a Phoenix goalkeeper since the statistic started being tracked in 1988.
• 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 873 of 900 possible minutes (97%) this season. She's averaged 87.3 per match and gone the full 90 in six of the last seven.
• 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 DELAWARE

• The Blue Hens are 1-7-3 overall and 0-2 in CAA play. Their lone win came in their season opener against Delaware State on Aug. 18.
• Delaware was picked to finish seventh in the CAA Preseason Poll.
• The Blue Hens went 5-11-2 overall and 2-5-2 in CAA play last season, finishing ninth in the conference.
• Midfielder/forward Sara D'Appolonia represented Delaware on the preseason All-CAA team after earning first-team All-CAA honors in 2019 and third-team honors in the spring of 2021. She paces the Blue Hens in goals (five), points (11), shots on goal (15) and shots (25) this season.

UP NEXT

• Elon will continue its season-long four-match road swing Sunday, when it visits Drexel. Kickoff is slated for 1 p.m.