WEST LONG BRANCH, N.J. – The postseason continues for the Elon University men's soccer team as the sixth-seeded Phoenix (6-8-3) faces No. 2 seed Monmouth (8-3-5) in the CAA semifinals on Sunday, Nov. 5 at Hesse Field on the Great Lawn at 1 p.m.
 
HOW TO FOLLOW
• Sunday'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
• The Phoenix and the Hawks will square off on the soccer pitch for the third time since becoming league opponents in 2022. Elon is unbeaten in the series with a 1-0-1 ledger.
• Earlier this season, Monmouth drew a 1-1 tie at Elon after scoring a goal in the final seconds of the match. Prior to the equalizing goal, Myson Darden had given the Phoenix the lead with a goal in the 60^th minute.
• Last season, Elon took a 2-1 win at Monmouth in the first-ever meeting between the two programs. Mason Duval and Vemund Hole Vik scored a pair of goals in the opening half to help the Phoenix to its third straight CAA win.
 
LAST TIME OUT
• The Phoenix opened CAA postseason play with a 1-0 win over No. 3 seed Stony Brook on Thursday, Nov. 2 in the quarterfinal round. The win helped the maroon and gold advance to its third straight CAA semifinal round.
• After a scoreless first half, the Phoenix added the go-ahead and game-winning goal in the 52^nd minute. Victor Stromsten scored his team-best fifth goal of the year on feeds from Scott Vatne and Majaliwa Msabaha.
• Elon ended the match with a 17-13 advantage in shots with a 10-5 difference in shots on goal. The Phoenix also won the corner battle, 5-2.
• The Phoenix improved to 2-1 all-time versus Stony Brook. Elon was able to avenge its 4-0 loss to the Seawolves earlier this year.
 
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 123-91-37.
• Elon has won four straight and five of its last six matches after a 1-7-3 start on the season. The Phoenix has also picked up its offense with 13 goals in those five wins. The maroon and gold is also unbeaten versus CAA competition in its last five matches after a 0-3-1 start in league play.
• Stromsten leads the Phoenix with 13 points on the year with his five goals and three assists. The Stockholm, Sweden, native has a pair of game-winning goals on the season and has scored a goal in two of his last three contests.
• Vatne is fifth in the CAA in shots per match at 2.50. Of Vatne's 40 shots this season, 21 have come on goal, which is sixth in the league.
• As a team, Elon has attempted 208 shots while opponents have fired 206 shots against the Phoenix. The maroon and gold has 91 shots on target at a 43.8 percent clip.
• Tomasz Wroblewski is currently 10^th overall in the nation in saves per game at 5.00 and in total saves with 75. The Warszawa, Poland, native added his second straight shutout in the Phoenix's win over Stony Brook and the fourth overall on the season.
• Elon returns 20 players and six starters in 2023 including returning All-CAA performers in Franc Gamiz Quer, Scott 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.
 
SCOUTING MONMOUTH
• The Hawks won a share of the CAA regular season title after posting a 5-1-2 ledger against league competition. Coming into Sunday's matchup, the Hawks have a current five-match unbeaten streak after defeating Campbell 1-0 last Saturday.
• Monmouth had five players earn All-CAA honors this season. Midfielder Ben Zakowski was one of the honorees for the Hawks as the fifth year leads the team with 11 goals and 23 points on the season. He currently ranks second in the CAA for goals and points while leading the league in game-winning goals.
• In goal, Eryk Dymora also received All-CAA laurels for his efforts in goal this season. The redshirt sophomore has played all 1,440 minutes for the Hawks this season and has a 0.81 goals-against average and a 79.0 save percentage. He also has six clean sheets on the year.
 
CAA POSTSEASON PRAISE
• The CAA announced its 2023 men's soccer postseason awards on Wednesday, Nov. 1. Three members of the maroon and gold earned spots on the All-CAA teams in Vatne, Franc Gamiz Quer and Majaliwa Msabaha.
• Vatne received his third All-CAA selection in his career with the honor on Wednesday. The Klepp, Norway, native is tied for the team-lead in points (11), goals (four) and assists (three) while being a starter in all of his 15 matches he has played in this season. Vatne also has a pair of game-winners this season including one versus UNCW last Saturday that helped the Phoenix clinch a spot for the CAA Tournament for the third straight year.
• Gamiz Quer earned his second All-CAA team in his time with the Phoenix. The center back has played in all 16 games for the Phoenix, making 15 starts along the backline. The Sabadell, Spain, native leads the Phoenix in minutes played with 1,314 and has scored a pair of goals this season including the game-winner at College of Charleston on Oct. 21.
• Coming off a CAA All-Rookie selection and a third team choice during his freshman campaign, Msabaha has continued his steady play during his sophomore campaign for the Phoenix. The Randers, Denmark, native has played in 15 matches with 14 starts and is third among field players in minutes with 1,246. 
 
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
A Phoenix win advances the maroon and gold to the CAA Championship final for the third straight year next Saturday, Nov. 11. Elon will face the winner between No. 1 seed Hofstra and No. 4 seed Delaware.