Columbia, S.C.- The Elon women's soccer team faced their toughest opposition of the young season and fell in defeat for the first time in Columbia on Thursday night. Elon (1-1-2) dropped their first game of the season to last season's SEC Tournament champion, the #13 South Carolina Gamecocks (4-0-1), 2-0.
 
The Elon backline nearly pitched another shutout. The Phoenix entered the match with the Gamecocks having compiled nearly 250 straight minutes without surrendering a goal. McKenna Dalfonso netted her finest full 90 minutes on the young season, registering four saves against the 13^th ranked Gamecocks.
 
How It Happened
 

• South Carolina began the game with a flurry of chances looking to rattle the Phoenix defense, but Elon kept their poise. In the 11^th minute a shot from Cat Barry nearly crosses the line, but the Phoenix cleared it off the goal line to keep the score level.
• McKenna Dalfonso would answer by tipping a shot off the crossbar and out to stop the immediate danger, but South Carolina would return the favor by once again beating Dalfonso, but Katie Lowe proved heroic in her goal line clearance efforts.
• Elon registered their first shot in the 29^th minute from a Kennedy Jones outside of the box effort.
• South Carolina's Reagan Schuback would finally beat Dalfonso when her shot from distance deflected off a Phoenix defender, wrong-footing the Phoenix keeper and giving the Gamecocks a 1-0 lead.
• The teams would trade corner kicks before heading into half with the score remaining 1-0.
• McKenna Dalfonso would be called upon early in the second half to come up with crucial saves, and Dalfonso answered the call. In the 56^th minute, Dalfonso came across the face of goal in one swoop to sniff out a Gamecock attempt that surely looked like it would double the SC lead.
• South Carolina would get a second goal when a clearance went awry and floated over Dalfonso's head, landing in the back of the net for a second SC goal.
• The teams would substitute more than shoot in the final 15 minutes as the game would remain a 2-0 score line after 90 minutes of play.

 
Notes and Stats
 

• Elon suffered their first defeat of the year in game four of the season, this is just the first time since 2018 that the Phoenix began the season with three straight positive results.
• Katie Lowe registered another 90 minutes on the backline. Fellow senior Kerri Coffman also played the full 90 on the back line.
• The final attendance of 3300 is the largest crowd in the history of an Elon women's soccer game. The only game to hit four digits was Elon's home opener of the 2023 season against Wofford.
• The Phoenix surrendered an own goal for the second time this season.
• Lydia Totten appeared in 56 minutes of the bench, her most this season.
• Kennedy Jones took a season high three shots and secured her first shot on target of the season.
• McKenna Dalfonso claimed four saves, her second most of the season following her seven save performance against Howard.
• Olivia McManes started for the first time this season and appeared in only her second game of the 2023 season.
• Elon now trails the all-time series with South Carolina, 0-2.   

 
Up Next
 

• The Phoenix will return to Rudd Field this Sunday to take on the UNCG Spartans at 7 p.m.