ELON, N.C. – It was quite the night to celebrate for the Elon University men's soccer team. Capping off a strong 5-0 win over Greensboro College on Wednesday, which was also the team's Senior Night, the seniors and graduating class enjoyed the game and took it all in.
While it was a night of gaining closure, the match provided some firsts for members of Elon's senior class. Seniors Charlie Kurz and Uli Schmidt not only made their first career starts for the maroon and gold but also recorded their first career goals and assists.
The goals by Kurz and Schmidt drew big reactions from their teammates, who were ecstatic to see them score on their Senior Night.
"We've worked so hard for this moment and to just get a goal is the greatest feeling, especially in front of your family and friends," Schmidt said.
Kurz and Schmidt were members of the Elon roster during the chaotic 2020-21 season impacted by to COVID-19. Head coach Marc Reeves said he has seen the growth from the duo throughout their years with the program.
"I'm a big believer that hard work can sustain perseverance," Reeves said. "A lot of times, people want instant gratification. They want a reward for doing what they're supposed to do and I think Charlie and Uli are guys that have turned up every day and given us an awful lot."
The two goals in front of their friends and family had the Phoenix faithful cheering loud and proud but not only did Kurz and Schmidt find the back of the net, they both logged the full 90 minutes.
"I'm glad tonight they scored good goals, played well, got the crowd going," Reeves said. "I think you can see what it means to our team to share their joy."
The Phoenix will turn its focus to a pivotal matchup against in-state rival UNC Wilmington this weekend. With a win, Elon will secure its spot in the CAA Tournament. Kurz said the team will look to carry the momentum from the offensive attack and clean sheet into Saturday's game.
"I think it's always great to score five goals against a team," Kurz said. "We just need to build off the way we kept the ball throughout the game and then just carry it to an important game on Saturday."
Schmidt had one message to the Elon fans for Saturday night.
"Flood the Rudd baby, we want everyone out there," Schmidt said.
'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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