ELON, N.C. – The Elon University men's soccer team travels to College of Charleston this Saturday, Oct. 21, for a pivotal CAA match with major postseason implications. The Phoenix (2-8-3, 1-3-2 CAA) and the Cougars (5-4-5, 2-2-2 CAA) are set for a 1 p.m. kickoff at Ralph Lundy Field at Patriots Point.
 
HOW TO FOLLOW
• Saturday's match 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
• Elon and College of Charleston will meet for the 26^th time on Saturday on the soccer pitch in a series dating back to 2001. The Cougars hold a slight 12-11-2 ledger over the Phoenix in the all-time meetings, but Elon has won five straight in the series.
• Last year, the Phoenix took a 3-2 thriller over the Cougars on its home pitch at Rudd Field. CofC took the early lead in the fifth minute before a Mason Duval goal leveled the match in the 11^th minute. Jeppe Jordoson added the Phoenix's second goal of the opening half before the Cougars' Chris Elliott tied the match at 2-2 in the 73^rd minute. The Phoenix however would prevail on a Vemund Hole Vik goal in the 79^th minute.
• Elon currently has an eight-game unbeaten streak against Charleston in the regular season. The Phoenix's last loss to the Cougars came in the CAA quarterfinal round in 2018 by a score of 2-1.
 
LAST TIME OUT
• The Phoenix played at Charlotte on Wednesday, Oct. 18 in a midweek matchup. The 49ers scored a goal inside the sixth minute which proved to be the game-winner as Elon fell 1-0.
• The 49ers increased their series lead to 9-3-1 all-time over the Phoenix. Charlotte remains unbeaten against Elon in eight of its past nine matches in the series.
• Jackson Leavitt made his first collegiate start in goal for the Phoenix. The Allen, Texas, native had three saves in between the posts for Elon.
 
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 119-91-37.
• Elon has five points in the CAA standings and is three points behind to tie for the sixth and final position for the league postseason tournament with two league games remaining.
• Victor Stromsten leads the team in points with nine on his three goals and a team-high three assists from his striker position. The Stockholm, Sweden, native became the first Elon player to have multiple assists in a match this year against Campbell on Oct. 14.
• Scott Vatne is tied with Stromsten for the team-lead in goals scored after providing his third goal of the year versus Campbell. It was the Klepp, Norway, native's first goal since Jacksonville on Aug. 27.
• Vatne is seventh in the CAA in shots per match at 2.31. Of Vatne's 30 shots this season, 15 have come on goal, which is eighth in the league.
• Elon has had seven unique goal-scorers this season. Outside of Stromsten and Vatne, Jack Dolk, Calle Edlestam, 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 126 shots while opponents have fired 162 shots against the Phoenix. The maroon and gold has 53 shots on target at a 42.1 percent clip.
• Tomasz Wroblewski sits second in the CAA in saves per game at 4.50. The junior has 54 saves in his 11 games, also the second-most in the CAA. His 69.2 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 COLLEGE OF CHARLESTON
• The Cougars come into the match with a 5-4-5 record and a 2-2-2 mark in the CAA. CofC currently sits tied for fifth in the league standings with eight points and has won three in a row after a 5-2 win over USC Upstate last Tuesday.
• On the season, the Cougars have scored 25 goals while allowing 18. Rookie Peter Thomas is tied for fourth in the league with seven goals while being fifth with 17 points. Leonardo D'Ambrosio is tied for third with seven assists and tied for seventh with 15 points.
• Defensively, CofC is allowing 13.6 shots per match to the opposition with 75 total attempts coming on goal. In goal, two players – Olly Marshall and Eric Wnorowski – have seen time for the Cougars with the duo combining for a GAA of 1.29 with 54 saves and a pair of shutouts.
 
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 Aug. 24, both players were added to the 2023 Hermann Trophy Watch List by the Missouri Athletic Club (MAC). 
 
UP NEXT
Elon closes out the regular season with a pair of home games next week starting with a contest versus Greensboro College on Wednesday, Oct. 25 at 7 p.m. The program will also host Senior Night and recognize its senior and graduating class.