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Isa Murdock waving prior to game against Queens 8.25.24
Erin Martin

Rising Phoenix by Sydney Spencer

Rising Phoenix: Murdock Marvels Scoring Her First Goal Since 2022

ELON, N.C. – Heading into the locker room at halftime on Sunday night, the Elon University women's soccer team was looking for a spark.

Outshooting Queens University at Charlotte 7-1, the Phoenix came close to scoring numerous times throughout the first half, but were ultimately unable to find the back of the net. Redshirt sophomore midfielder Isa Murdock said she knew the team was close to converting.

"We were mostly just trying to fix little mistakes, because we knew [chances] were coming but we just needed to keep going," Murdock said. 

Murdock started the game as a forward but began the second half from the sidelines. She subbed in at 58:33 and was ready to put the Phoenix ahead of the Royals.

In the 71st minute, Murdock stood on the back line of the box, shot the ball and watched as it glided into the upper right corner of the goal, marking her first of the 2024 season and putting the Phoenix ahead 1-0.

"It was really great, it was a super good feeling," Murdock said. "I've been working on it all season. I was out last year, so it feels really good."
 

It was Murdock's first goal since Sept. 25, 2022 after redshirting last season due to injury. In her freshman campaign, Murdock played in all 18 matches with 15 starts on the year and ranked third in points on the team with eight. Returning to the field with her teammates means the world to her.

"It was super special. It was extremely hard sitting out all last season and then coming back and scoring a really good goal is always super fun after all of the hard work I put in," Murdock said.

At the conclusion of the game, the Phoenix outshot the Royals 19-3 and Murdock tied her career-high in shots with six. 

"Coach Neil [Payne] talks a lot about resilience and I think we showed that," Murdock said. "Obviously we need to finish some of those extra shots, but I think it's promising for the rest of the season."

The Phoenix also had extra support from the crowd during the game. A total of 2,089 fans were in attendance courtesy of an Elon class of 2028 tailgate prior to kickoff. 

"It's super fun, it's exciting," Murdock said. "You get to hear the noise and any time you do something good you can feel it. It's just good energy and it helps us play better."

Starting the season off 2-0, the Phoenix will have another week ahead before its next game on the road against Wofford on Sept. 1 at 6 p.m.

"We're going to use the positives we got from this game and learn from all of our mistakes," Murdock said. "We're going to focus on finishing the chances we did have, but I think how we played tonight, we're going to take it into Wofford and kick butt then, too."
 
'Rising Phoenix' is a new 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 Twitter (@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.
--ELON--
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Players Mentioned

Isa Murdock

#7 Isa Murdock

F
5' 8"
Redshirt Sophomore

Players Mentioned

Isa Murdock

#7 Isa Murdock

5' 8"
Redshirt Sophomore
F
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