ELON – The Elon University women's soccer team (10-2-5, 4-2-3 CAA) opens postseason play Thursday night, as the Phoenix travels to take on William & Mary (7-6-4, 5-2-2 CAA) in the quarterfinals of the CAA Tournament.
Elon vs. William & Mary Briefing
Match Details: Oct. 30, 2025 | Williamsburg, Va. | Martin Family Stadium | 7 p.m.
Watch: FloCollege
Live Stats: StatBroadcast
The William & Mary Series
- The series between the Phoenix and Tribe is evenly split, 5-5-2, entering Thursday's contest. The series began in 2014 when the Phoenix joined the CAA.
- This will be the first meeting between Elon and William & Mary in the CAA Tournament.
- William & Mary defeated Elon in the regular season, 2-1, on Sept. 27. Isa Murdock scored in the first half, but the Tribe netted a pair of second-half goals to defend its home field in Williamsburg.
- The Phoenix is 4-2-1 in its last seven meetings with William & Mary.
- Elon has lost its last two trips to Williamsburg and is 2-4-1 all-time on the road against the Tribe.
- The Tribe and Phoenix have played at least once every season since Elon joined the CAA in 2014.
Last Time Out
- Elon clinched its CAA Tournament berth with a scoreless draw against College of Charleston on Sunday at Rudd Field.
- The scoreless draw was Elon's second of the season, as the Phoenix previously played NC State to a 0-0 stalemate on Sept. 4. It was Elon's first scoreless draw against a CAA opponent since Oct. 23, 2022, against Towson.
- Katie Bisgrove made seven saves in goal for her seventh shutout of the season and Elon's eighth as a team. It was the first shutout in conference play for both Bisgrove and the Phoenix.
- Charleston finished with a slight 15-13 advantage in shots. Grace Gelhaus took a game-high four shots for the Phoenix, with Ashlee Brehio and Murdock both attempting a pair.
- Four Elon field players played the full 90 minutes – Ava Hellner, Megan Dwyer, Jessica Hill and Alexis Pierce.
- With the result, Elon finished the regular season with a 5-0-3 mark at Rudd. This was the first time the Phoenix has gone unbeaten at home since 2013.
CAA Charge
- Elon went 4-0-2 in its final six CAA matches to earn the final tournament spot from the South Division.
- The streak began on Oct. 2 with a 1-1 tie against CAA South champion UNCW. Elon then reeled off four straight wins against Campbell, Drexel, Towson and Hampton before tying Charleston in its regular-season finale.
- The Phoenix picked up 14 of the last 18 possible points in CAA play after earning just one of the first nine available points to start conference play.
- Gelhaus scored the game-winning goal in three of Elon's last four wins. The winning tally against Campbell came in the 85th minute of a 2-1 victory.
- Elon outscored its opponents in the final six matches of the regular season, 13-6.
- The Phoenix entered the final week of the regular season in fourth place in the CAA South standings. Elon's four points vaulted the Phoenix ahead of Charleston for the final tournament berth.
Elon In The CAA Tournament
- This is the fifth time Elon has qualified for the CAA Tournament since joining the conference in 2014. The Phoenix has made five of the last seven conference tournaments.
- Elon is 4-3 in its previous four CAA Tournament appearances.
- Last season, the Phoenix was the No. 3 seed in the tournament and advanced to the semifinals. Elon defeated No. 6 seed College of Charleston in the quarterfinals, 2-1, before falling to No. 2 seed Stony Brook in the semifinals.
- The Phoenix advanced to the championship match in the spring 2021 season, defeating UNCW in that contest to win its first CAA title and advance to the NCAA Tournament.
- Elon has won at least one match in three of its four previous CAA Tournament appearances.
- All five of Elon's CAA Tournament appearances have come under head coach Neil Payne.
CAA Tournament Breakdown
- Elon is the No. 3 seed from the South Division behind No. 2 seed William & Mary and top-seeded UNCW.
- The winner of Thursday night's game will advance to face CAA South Division champion UNCW in Sunday's semifinal round. Kickoff in Wilmington is slated for 1 p.m.
- The Phoenix went 0-1-1 in the regular season against the Tribe and Seahawks.
- In the North bracket, Monmouth is the top seed, followed by Stony Brook and Hofstra. Elon also went 0-1-1 in the regular season against the North representatives.
- The winners of Sunday's semifinals will advance to the CAA championship match on Nov. 8.
GG
- Gelhaus, a preseason All-CAA selection, led all CAA defenders in points and goals this season with career highs in both.
- The defender is second on the Phoenix with 17 points this season. She notched nine points (4g, 1a) in Elon's final five matches of the season, which included three game-winning tallies.
- Gelhaus is tied for fifth in the CAA with her seven goals on the campaign, with four coming against CAA opponents.
- The junior scored two goals in a 21-second span in Elon's 4-0 nonconference victory over VMI on Aug. 17. She is one of two Elon players, along with Gabby Hoschek, to record a brace this season.
- Gelhaus is third on the team with 26 shots and has the best shot percentage (0.269) of any Phoenix with seven or more attempts this season.
- Gelhaus has logged the fourth most minutes by a Phoenix position player this season (1,293) and has gone the full distance on six occasions.
- Gelhaus took home CAA Defensive Player of the Week on Oct. 20 after scoring five points in a pair of conference wins over Drexel (Oct. 16) and Towson (Oct. 19).
Murdock Making Plays
- Murdock leads the Phoenix with a career-best 18 points, with six goals and six assists on the campaign. She is currently tied for fifth in the CAA in points.
- The redshirt junior has six goals, trailing only Gelhaus for the most on the Phoenix. Her 38 shot attempts are the second most on the team while her 19 shots on goal lead all Elon players.
- Murdock also leads the Phoenix and ranks No. 3 in the conference with a career-high six assists on the campaign. She has registered a goal or assist in nine of 17 appearances this season.
- Murdock scored in two of Elon's first three games this season against VCU and Gardner-Webb. She tallied her third goal of the campaign on Sept. 10 against South Carolina State and delivered her fourth on Sept. 27 at William & Mary.
- Murdock is up to 14 career goals, as she is one of four current Elon players, along with Brehio, Gelhaus and Hoschek, with double-digits as a Phoenix.
- Murdock earned the first CAA weekly honor of her career on Oct. 20, taking home CAA Offensive Player of the Week. She scored six points (2g, 2a) in Elon's wins over Drexel and Towson.
The Great Gabby
- Hoschek, a preseason All-CAA honorable mention, is having the best statistical season of her career in 2025.
- The junior is third on the Phoenix in points (16) and goals (5), both of which are career highs.
- Four of the junior's five goals this season have come directly off free kicks. The most recent came in Elon's victory last week at Hampton.
- In Elon's CAA opener at Hofstra on Sept. 18, Hoschek scored the tying goal directly off a deep free kick with exactly one minute remaining to secure a 2-2 result for the Phoenix.
- The midfielder delivered her second career brace on Sept. 10 against South Carolina State, as she scored two of Elon's first three goals in a 6-0 victory.
- The junior has two matches this season with both a goal and an assist, with the most recent coming at Hampton on Oct. 23.
- Hoschek has a career-best six assists this season, with four coming in the last six matches. She assisted on Jess Beck's game-winning goal last week at Hampton.
- Hoschek has started 14 of 17 games for Elon this season, logging 1,260 minutes.
Historic Shutout Streak
- Elon set a program record earlier this season with seven consecutive clean sheets, surpassing the previous record of six that was set in 1986, Elon's inaugural season.
- Elon went just over 716 minutes of game time without conceding a goal, a stretch that began in the second half at VCU on Aug. 14 and ended in the second half on Sept. 18 versus Hofstra. The Phoenix was just shy of 12 hours without allowing a goal before the Pride ended the streak.
- Bisgrove started six of those shutout efforts in goal for the Phoenix. She is the first Elon goalie in program history to record a shutout in six consecutive games.
- Anna Hamner and Naomi Person combined for Elon's seventh shutout against South Carolina State.
- Bisgrove was the first goalkeeper in the country to reach six shutouts this season.
- Bisgrove's six straight clean sheets were the most by a CAA women's soccer student-athlete since Hofstra's Krystal Robens posted seven in a row in 2007.
- Bisgrove's seven shutouts this season are the most among CAA goalies. The sophomore is up to 12.5 in her career, which is already the eighth most in program history through her 33 appearances.
- The Phoenix leads the CAA and ranks top 30 in the nation in goals against average (.71). Elon's .875 save percentage is also the best in the conference and No. 8 nationally.
- Elon currently holds a plus-22 goal differential, the best in the CAA.
- Hill has anchored Elon's back line this season, playing 1,495 of a possible 1,530 minutes. She has logged the full 90 minutes on 14 occasions.
- Pierce and Dwyer have also been key contributors on Elon's back line this season. Pierce is second among Elon field players with 1,403 minutes played this season, with Dwyer having logged 1,156 minutes. Dwyer had a goal and two assists in Elon's two conference wins over Drexel and Towson.
Balanced Attack
- Elon had 12 different scorers for its 34 goals in the regular season.
- Gelhaus (7) leads the Phoenix in goals with Murdock (6) and Hoschek (5) close behind. Beck has four goals, followed by Brehio and Hellner with three apiece.
- Three Elon players have converted their first career goals this season – freshmen Abby Brinker and Miranda Dumornay, along with junior Jenna Abousaab.
- Lauren McCauley, Talia Feigin and Dwyer are the other goal scorers this season for the Phoenix with one apiece.
- Additionally, 17 Elon players have recorded points on the campaign, with Jordan Green (2), Gia Milano (2), Hill (1), Maya Abousaab (1) and Lilly McFadden (1) all recording assists.
Scouting William & Mary
- The Tribe went 7-6-4 in the regular season, which included a 5-2-2 mark in CAA play.
- William & Mary won its final three matches of the regular season to secure the No. 2 seed from the South Division in the CAA Tournament.
- William & Mary posted a 2-1-0 record against the CAA Tournament field in the regular season, with victories versus Elon and Monmouth. The lone loss came to CAA South champion UNCW.
- The Tribe outscored its last three CAA opponents, 8-0. That included a 3-0 victory over CAA North champion Monmouth on Oct. 19.
- In nonconference play, William & Mary secured a tie against then No. 20 Virginia Tech on Sept. 7.
- William & Mary is the No. 9 scoring offense in the conference with 1.29 goals per match.
- The Tribe ranks No. 6 in scoring defense, conceding just 1.12 goals per contest. However, William & Mary has allowed just seven goals in conference matches, the fewest among CAA teams this season.
- Ivey Crain leads the Tribe in points (13) and goals (6) this season. She is tied for No. 8 in the conference in goals. Four of her goals have been game winners, which is tied for the second most in the CAA.
- Lindsey Wilson and Sheridan Brummett are second on the Tribe with four goals apiece. Wilson is also second on the team in points (10).
- Freshman Ellie Leffler leads all CAA rookies in points with seven (3g, 1a).
- In goal, freshman Gwen Douhgty has started 16 of 17 matches this season. She has a 1.17 goals against average and a .743 save percentage. Her five shutouts are tied for the third most in the conference.
- This is William & Mary's first CAA Tournament appearance since 2023. The Tribe last won a CAA Tournament game in 2017.
- The Tribe is led by eighth-year head coach Julie Shackford.
Stay Posted
For further coverage of Elon women's soccer, follow the Phoenix on X (@ElonWSoccer), Instagram (elonwsoccer) and Facebook (Elon Women's Soccer).
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