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Images of Elon University women's soccer team's match vs. UNCW on Thursday, Sept. 21, 2023 at Rudd Field in Elon, N.C.
Troy L. Sayles
0
Elon ELN (1-5-3, 0-3-1)
2
Winner William & Mary W&M (6-0-5, 3-0-2)
Elon ELN
(1-5-3, 0-3-1)
0
Final
2
William & Mary W&M
(6-0-5, 3-0-2)
Winner
Score By Periods
Team 1 2 F
Elon ELN 0 0 0
William & Mary W&M 0 2 2

Game Recap: Women's Soccer | | Gray Aust, Assistant Director for Athletic Communications

Elon Suffers 2-0 Defeat to William & Mary

Williamsburg, Va. - The Elon Phoenix (1-5-3) failed to end the unbeaten run of William & Mary (6-0-5) with a 2-0 loss on Sunday afternoon. The combination of Anna Hamner and McKenna Dalfonso with Hamner securing three saves in the first 45 minutes of play.
 
Despite playing just 39 minutes, junior Kelly Degnan registered the second most shots on the day. Grace Gelhaus is becoming a more offensive force in front of goal, as the freshman put on three shots with the Phoenix' lone shot on target.
 
The Phoenix have now gotten a positive result in only one of their first four league games, the lowest total since Neil Payne's first season with the Phoenix back in 2018. All four sides the Phoenix have seen thus far are in the playoff hunt with Towson, William & Mary, and Northeastern finding themselves in the top four.
 
 
How It Happened
 
  • The two teams began with a midfield battle, with the first shot coming from the Tribe's Jillian O'Toole in the tenth minute.
  • Elon would register the first shot on target of the match when Grace Gelhaus snuck inside and delivered a shot heading for the bottom left corner, but it was saved by Zoe Doughty to keep the score at 0-0.
  • Hamner would be called into action for the first time when a shot from Elaina Longjohn fired a shot towards the bottom corner that would be saved. The Tribe would add another shot on goal no more than 60 seconds later, but Hamner would be equal to it again.
  • Hamner would make her third save in five minutes following a shot on target from William & Mary's leading goal scorer, Ivey Crain.
  • The Tribe's Madison Moon would be given a yellow card in the 36th minute following a hard challenge.
  • Near the end of the first half, the Phoenix would put on a flurry of shots coming from Ashlee Brehio, Isabelle Paradoski then Gelhaus again, but none would find the back of the net.
  • It would take the Tribe 14 minutes into the second half to find the back of the net with the goal coming from Kayleigh Shackford.
  • The Tribe would continue to test the newly substituted McKenna Dalfonso with shots from Crain and Kenna Zier both finding the target.
  • W&M continued to pile on the pressure with two corner kicks and a trio of shots on target, all within a four-minute span, but Dalfonso was equal to them all.
  • Degnan would find herself in-behind in the 74th minute, but the shot from Kelly would go wide to the right.
  • Emilia Cappellett would be given a yellow card in the 81st minute following an infraction.
  • The Tribe would put the game on ice in the 84th minute with a goal from Mia Suchora to give William & Mary a two-goal lead. The 2-0 margin would end up being the final score as the Phoenix failed to register a shot following the second Tribe goal.
 
Notes and Stats
 
  • The series between Elon and William & Mary now stands at a stalemate, 4-4-2.
  • The result for the Phoenix means that Elon has their first loss against the Tribe in the last five games. Before today's match the Phoenix had a record of 3-0-1 against W&M over the last four matches.
  • The Tribe registered their first goals against the Phoenix since 2019.
  • Coach Neil Payne now has a record of 3-2-1 against William & Mary during his time at Elon.
  • For the second straight match, Grace Gelhaus led the Phoenix in shots. The freshman registered three shots and the lone shot on target for the Phoenix against the Tribe.
  • For the eighth consecutive match, the Phoenix have allowed two goals or less.
  • Anna Hamner has now started for games for the Phoenix and allowed just one goal in 225 total minutes played.
  • For just the second time in league play, the Phoenix were outshot by their opponents with only the Tribe and Towson outshooting the Phoenix so far this season.
  • Kelly Degnan matched her season high in shots with two on the day.
 
Up Next
 
  • The Phoenix will head to West Long Branch, N.J. to take on the Monmouth Hawks. The game was originally scheduled for earlier this month, but weather intervened. The game will kick off at 1 P.M. on Tuesday with the midweek matinee being streamed on FloFC.
 
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