ELON, N.C. – As the Elon University men's soccer team took on the Campbell Camels under the lights Saturday at Rudd Field, clouds rolled in late to consume the picturesque sunset framing the pitch when the match began. Slowly, a drizzle formed and before anyone knew it, the term "flood the Rudd" turned literal, as rain cascaded down on the white and orange clad players during the final 10 minutes of play.
The rain was not the only thing pouring on Saturday night, as the Phoenix fired shot after shot throughout the game, scoring three goals in the game's first 30 minutes. The first half was a spark Elon needed to fuel a 3-2 win over Campbell.
The one-two punch of Scott Vatne and Victor Stromsten led the offensive onslaught. With the game notched at one goal a piece, Elon pushed an attack forward looking for a second goal in the 17th minute. Stromsten received a quick pass from Vatne in the box as a swarm of Campbell defenders surrounded him. Stromsten delivered the ball right back as Vatne curved a shot under the diving goalie for his third of the season.
"It was a quick one-two. You [Vatne] didn't really make it hard for me at all," Stromsten said. "You played it to me and said 'I want it back,' so what else can I do?"
In Elon's previous conference matchup against Northeastern, Stromsten recorded two goals on his way to being named CAA Offensive Player of the Week. He finished Saturday night with two assists, as he now has four points in the team's last two CAA matches.
"Of course, it's always nice on a personal note, but I think it's sort of a reflection of what our team's gone through the past couple of weeks," Stromsten said. "I think that it could have been anyone. The fact that it was me is nice for me but I think that, as a team, we've been growing stronger and stronger."
Vatne and Stromsten share the team lead in goals with three each. Vatne said the key for Elon's success against Campbell was taking full advantage of their shot opportunities
"We scored on our chances," Vatne said. "We've been struggling with that the whole season and today we just scored. We needed that."
With the win, the Phoenix recorded its first conference victory of the season and earned a much-needed three points in the CAA standings. Head coach Marc Reeves said he was happy with the win to help Elon's pursuit of a CAA Tournament berth.
"At this stage of the season, it really is about results," Reeves said. "It really is about gaining max points and getting the first win in the conference season and pushing on."
'Rising Phoenix' is a new student-led initiative to cover Elon Athletics. Through innovative content creation and storytelling, Elon University students will have the opportunity to highlight the moments, people and events that make an impact, leveraging the athletic department's various web and social media platforms for distribution. Follow Rising Phoenix on Twitter (@EURisingPhoenix) and Instagram (@elonrisingphoenix). Interested in joining this initiative as a content creator (video, graphics, writing, storytelling, or more)? Contact Jacob Kisamore at jkisamore@elon.edu.
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