ELON, N.C. – The Elon University men's soccer team is back on its home pitch this Saturday, Oct. 14, as the Phoenix (1-7-3, 0-3-2 CAA) hosts Campbell (2-4-4, 1-2-2 CAA) in a league matchup at Rudd Field. Kickoff for that match is at 7 p.m.
 
HOW TO FOLLOW
• Saturday's game will be streamed on FloFC via a paid subscription.
• Live stats will also be available for fans to follow along with live updates on Twitter/X at @ElonMSoccer.
 
THE MATCHUP
• Both teams will meet on the soccer pitch for the first time since the 2021 season in their inaugural meeting as CAA opponents.
• Elon holds a slight 11-10-1 ledger over the Camels in the all-time series. The Phoenix has a 5-0 record at Rudd Field over its intrastate foe during its Division I era (since 1999).
• The Phoenix earned a 1-0 win versus the Camels in 2021 at Rudd Field. Sam Durand had the lone goal and game-winner in the 43^rd minute of the match. Elon won the shot battle, 11-8, with seven of those coming on goal.
 
LAST TIME OUT
• The Phoenix is coming off a 3-0 setback at No. 15 Duke earlier this week on Tuesday, Oct. 10. It was the second ACC matchup that the Phoenix has had in as many weeks.
• Elon held the Blue Devils scoreless in the opening frame, withholding an 11-2 shot advantage in the period. Phoenix netminder Tomasz Wroblewski made six saves in the first half and had seven overall in the game.
• The win was the third straight for the Blue Devils over the Phoenix in its interstate matchup. Overall, Duke holds a 15-2-3 ledger all-time over Elon.
 
STROMSTEN NAMED CAA OFFENSIVE PLAYER OF THE WEEK
• For his efforts at Northeastern last Saturday, senior Victor Stromsten was named the CAA Player of the Week on Monday, Oct. 9. Stromsten's first career brace gave the Phoenix its second point in CAA play while also giving the striker the team lead in goals with three.
• It was the first CAA weekly award for the Stockholm, Sweden, native in his career and the first for the Phoenix this season.
 
OPENING STANZA
• The Phoenix is in its seventh season under head coach Marc Reeves. Through his 13 seasons as a head coach, Reeves has posted an overall record of 118-90-37.
• Elon had two points in the CAA standings and is three points behind to tie for the sixth and final position for the league postseason tournament with three league games remaining.
• Stromsten became just the second player for the Phoenix this season to have multiple goals on the year. Scott Vatne is second on the Phoenix with two goals so far this season.
• Vatne is also sixth in the CAA in shots per match with 2.36 per game and has 12 attempts on goal.
• Elon has had five unique goal-scorers this season. Outside of Stromsten and Vatne, Myson Darden, Franc Gamiz Quer and Ben Rosenblatt are the other members of the squad who have scored for the Phoenix so far in 2023.
• As a team, Elon has attempted 106 shots while opponents have fired 138 shots against the Phoenix. The maroon and gold has 44 shots on target at a 41.5 percent clip.
• Wroblewski sits second in the CAA in saves per game at 4.45. The junior has 49 saves in his first 10 games, the second-most in the CAA. His 69.0 save percentage is in the top 10 in the league.
• Elon returns 20 players and six starters in 2023 including returning All-CAA performers in Gamiz Quer, Vatne and Majaliwa Msabaha. The trio was recognized on the 2023 Preseason All-CAA team along with newcomer Luca Erhardt.
• Three players will don the captain armband for the Phoenix this season. Gamiz Quer and Msabaha will join senior Ben Rosenblatt as captains for the 2023 campaign.
• Elon welcomes eight newcomers to its roster for 2023 – Erhardt, Joachim Blomsterberg, Nick Buchholz, Jake Chilton, Jahmir Flowers, August Guinle, Nate Kennedy, JP Quigley, Eddy Righetti, Isak Sedin, Jordin Wilson and Tomasz Wroblewski.
• Erhardt arrives to the Phoenix as a transfer from James Madison. During his time with the Dukes, the Offenbach, Germany, native was a first team All-CAA member in his last played season in 2021 at JMU after scoring a team-high nine goals and an assist for 19 points while starting 17 games.
• The Phoenix also added Tony Falvino as the program's new associate head coach in the spring of 2023. Falvino arrives to Elon after spending the past two seasons as an assistant coach at Mercer. During his time with the Bears, Falvino helped the program to a Southern Conference Tournament title and an NCAA Tournament appearance. Prior to his time at Mercer, Falvino served as the head coach at his alma mater at Greensboro College for six seasons. Under his guidance, the Pride compiled an overall record of 75-29-4 and a conference record of 49-10-3.
 
SCOUTING CAMPBELL
• In their first foray in the CAA, the Camels are currently tied for sixth place in the league standings with their five points at its 2-4-4 ledger. Campbell last played at Old Dominion on Tuesday, Oct. 3 after having its match at VCU get postponed.
• Coming off an 11-4-5 record in 2022 and a 6-1-1 mark in its final season in the Big South Conference, Campbell was tabbed to finish fourth in the 2023 CAA Preseason Poll.
• The Camels have accounted for 10 goals this season while averaging 8.9 shots per match. Individually, sophomore Adam Yousfi leads the team with four goals and three assists, but has been held without a goal since Sept. 12 versus VMI. Téva Lossec is the only other player who has scored multiple goals for Campbell with two.
• Samy Slimi has played all 10 games for the Camels in goal and has posted a GAA of 1.65 with 29 saves and a pair of shutouts.
• Dustin Fonder is in his ninth season as the head coach at Campbell. The 2019 and 2021 Big South Coach of the Year, Fonder has led the Camels to five league trophies and three NCAA College Cup appearances over the last four seasons. He also served as an assistant coach at Elon from 2003-06.
 
PRESEASON PRAISE
• Graduate student defender Franc Gamiz Quer and junior midfielder Scott Vatne have garnered some preseason honors ahead of the 2023 season. Gamiz Quer and Vatne were both selected to the Defender and Midfielder Watch List, respectively, by the United Soccer Coaches Association. The duo was also named to the 2023 Preseason All-CAA team.
• On Thursday, Aug. 24, both players were added to the 2023 Hermann Trophy Watch List by the Missouri Athletic Club (MAC). 
 
UP NEXT
Elon travels to Charlotte for a midweek contest next Wednesday, Oct. 18. That game is scheduled for 7 p.m.