ELON, N.C. – The Elon University men's soccer team begins a three-match road swing this week as the Phoenix (1-2-1) travels to fellow Piedmont Triad rival High Point (1-1-1) for a nonconference battle on Tuesday, Sept. 12. Game time is scheduled for 7 p.m. at Vert Stadium.
 
HOW TO FOLLOW
• Tuesday's game will be streamed on ESPN+ 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
• Longtime rivals since Elon's inaugural season in 1972, the Phoenix and the Panthers will meet for the 57^th time on the pitch on Tuesday. High Point holds a 30-13-13 all-time advantage in the series over the maroon and gold.
• High Point is unbeaten in its last three meetings versus the Phoenix, going 2-0-1 in that span. Last season, both teams battled to a 0-0 draw at Rudd Field.
• Both teams last played in High Point during the 2021 season. The Panthers came away with a 3-2 result in overtime. Elon's last win in the series came in 2018 in High Point with a 2-1 verdict.
 
LAST TIME OUT
• Elon earned its first point of CAA play this weekend with a 1-1 draw versus Monmouth on Saturday, Sept. 9. The tie put the Phoenix's league record to 0-1-1 on the season.
• Myson Darden scored his first goal of the season in the 60^th minute. The senior was able to covert off a corner kick from Eddy Righetti to give Elon the initial lead. The Hawks however would level the contest in the final seconds to force the draw.
• Phoenix keeper Tomasz Wroblewski had seven saves in the contest for the Phoenix. It was the second-highest total for the Warszawa, Poland, native in a single game this season behind his eight saves in the season-opener versus Furman.
 
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 118-85-35.
• Scott Vatne leads the Phoenix with two goals so far this season. The Klepp, Norway, native is sixth in the CAA in shots per match with 2.5 per game and has six attempts on goal, which is eighth in the league.
• As a team, Elon has attempted 40 shots while opponents have fired 59 shots against the Phoenix. The maroon and gold have 20 shots on target at a 50 percent clip.
• Wroblewski sits second in the CAA in saves per game at 6.00. The junior has 24 saves in his first five games, also the second-most in the CAA. His 77.4 save percentage is fourth 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 HIGH POINT
• The Panthers are 1-1-1 on the season. High Point is coming off a 1-2 loss at No. 2 Marshall last Friday after going unbeaten at its tournament, the Courtyard Kickoff Classic, the previous week against Saint Peter's and Evansville.
• High Point went 11-5-5 in 2022 while posting a 5-0-3 record during Big South play and winning the league tournament championship. The Panthers continued their winning ways with a 2-0 win in the NCAA Tournament at North Carolina and were chosen as the preseason favorite in the 2023 Big South Preseason Poll.
• Offensively, High Point has scored four goals this season. Striker Tony Pineda has half of that total with a pair of goals through four matches so far this season. The Statesville, N.C., native also has scored a game-winning goal against Evansville this year.
• In goal, Justin Stewart has been the man between the posts all season for the Panthers. The freshman has eight saves with a 66.7 save percentage while also posting a GAA of 1.33.
 
UP NEXT
The Phoenix continues its road trip this Sunday, Sept. 17, with a visit to South Florida. That game is set for 7 p.m. and will air on ESPN+.