ELON, N.C. – In its annual Senior Night matchup on Saturday against Northeastern, the Elon University men's soccer team turned to none other than senior midfielder
Scott Vatne and graduate student forward
Victor Stromsten to ignite the Phoenix.
The game started slowly, with both teams scoreless heading into the half. The Phoenix generated several scoring opportunities, but ultimately could not put the ball in the back of the net.
Going into halftime, Stromsten said he knew how to lead his squad and keep the pedal to the floor.
"We had a plan from the beginning and we didn't play our best in the first half," Stromsten said. "We knew where to look for opportunities based on scouting. The message wasn't to change anything up tactically, but if we play our game, we'll break them down, because we know the qualities and pieces we have to succeed."
Vatne had a technical assist to Stromsten for his lone goal of the night. While triple-teamed in a four-on-two attacking situation, Vatne spun 270 degrees for a pass that set up Stromsten one-on-one with the keeper, scoring the goal that put the Phoenix ahead of the Huskies 3-2.
After the match, Stromsten was effusive in his praise for his teammate and explained that because of their dynamic chemistry, he knew a scoring opportunity would emerge.
"It's lovely to play with someone like Scott [Vatne] because you can give him the ball, he has eyes in the back of his head," Stromsten said. "I took the ball and played it to him, and I knew if I just kept on running, he would see me.
"That's just what he's like as a player, it's the reason why he scored three goals today and why he's the best player I've seen at this program," Stromsten added.
In response to Stromsten, Vatne jokingly said Stromsten's height was a contributing factor to his awareness of his open teammate.
"He's also six-foot-seven so he isn't the hardest player to find," Vatne said. "He was also screaming for the ball, and I was too exhausted to do anything else with it. I passed him the ball and he did the rest."
Vatne's assist to Stromsten was the 20th assist of his career at Elon, which moves him up to second in program history. While proud of the accomplishment, Vatne said his main focus remains on the success of the team.
"I'm happy I can contribute to a lot of goals and assists for the team, and I'm just enjoying doing my job," Vatne said. "Whatever records I break are just extra. I'm just happy to reach them."
Vatne also scored in the 56th, 72nd, and 82nd minutes, earning his first career hat trick. His goal total is up to nine on the season, good for a team-best ahead of
Colin Veltri's six. His seven assists also pace the Phoenix, with Stromsten good for six on the season.
Gallery: (10-30-2024) MSOC Senior Day
With the 4-2 win over the Huskies, the Phoenix has now clinched a spot in the CAA postseason tournament. Despite the berth, Stromsten and his squad do not plan on slowing down.
"I think we see this as step one. This is what is expected of us, minimum," Stromsten said. "This was our first step, and now we move on to the second one."
Because Saturday's tilt against Northeastern was the last scheduled regular-season home game for the two seniors, it could have been their last outing at Rudd Field. However, Stromsten said his goal is to ensure that Saturday's match will not be his last at Rudd.
"I've been here for four-and-a-half years, I refuse to let this be our last game here," Stromsten said. "This field means so much to me, these guys mean so much to me, so I'm not ready for the season to be over, I'm not ready for this to be my last game. We're going to push everyone to work their hardest, so we can be back here for the playoffs and the NCAAs."
Vatne voiced his appreciation for the Phoenix faithful when reflecting on his time at Elon.
"We have great fans here, and it's like playing with a twelfth guy," Vatne said. "They drive us to keep competing and fighting for each other. Nothing beats being at Rudd."
The Phoenix will travel to Buies Creek, North Carolina on Saturday, Nov. 2 to take on the Campbell Camels in its regular season finale at 7 p.m. A win would earn the Phoenix the first overall seed in the CAA tournament and ensure home-field advantage in any tournament matches.
'Rising Phoenix' is a 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 X (@EURisingPhoenix) and Instagram (@elonrisingphoenix). Interested in joining this initiative as a content creator (video, graphics, writing, storytelling, or more)? Contact Chase Strawser at cstrawser@elon.edu.
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