ELON N.C. – A season ago, the Elon University women's soccer team was one of the winningest teams in the CAA, capturing a 13-4-1 overall record. After a long offseason and a tame opening contest against VCU, the goal was to storm onto Rudd Field with a flame too hot to handle.
The Phoenix did just that, posting a 4-0 victory over the VMI Keydets. With the victory, the Phoenix improved to a 10-0-5 record in its last fifteen home-opening matches. Under head coach Neil Payne, Elon is now 7-0-1 in home openers, outscoring its opponents 16-0.
Junior defender Grace Gelhaus led the Phoenix to victory Sunday night. Gelhaus put her team on the board early, scoring in the 26th minute off a beautiful pass from junior midfielder Gabby Hoschek. Before the Keydet defense could catch its breath, Gelhaus put another one into the back of the net, this time assisted by redshirt junior forward Isa Murdock and freshman forward Lilly McFadden. She scored two goals in 21 seconds, quickly flipping the match on its head.
Gelhaus praised her teammates for setting her up to accomplish such a feat.
"My teammates Gabby and Isa both set me up really well," Gelhaus said. "All I had to do was finish, so props to them."
Murdock and Hoschek created opportunities for the team all night, and it was seen most notably on the stat sheet. The Phoenix had a staggering 26 shot opportunities, 12 of which were on goal – a drastic difference compared to the four shots the Keydets attempted. Gelhaus attempted four of those shots, converting goals at a 50-percent clip. But as Gelhaus mentioned, it wasn't simply a coincidence. Taking ample shots was a point of emphasis heading into the matchup.
"We talked a lot before the game about getting more shots off," Gelhaus said. "Especially in the first couple of minutes, so that the intensity is raised throughout the game. We knew what was working for us, so we were moving the ball and getting our shots off when we needed to."
Another highlight from the opening night victory was the amount of success seen from Elon's transfers and true freshmen. Junior transfers Talia Feigin and Gia Milano were prime examples. Feigin registered four shots on the night while Milano assisted on junior forward Lauren McCauley's acrobatic goal in the 60th minute.
"Everybody has been working so hard in the offseason and now," Gelhaus said. "Whether it's in practice, on the field, off the field or in film, we're all taking notes and it's translating into the game. Everyone is working together and the chemistry is there."
Along with the experienced transfer students, incoming freshmen McFadden, Charlise Grimes and Abby Brinker made their impacts on the pitch. Brinker emphasized how impactful the culture of the team has been for her to find success early.
"As a freshman, it's really nice to have upperclassmen that support, push us and get us to that point," Brinker said. "Coach Neil, Sean [Sandoval], Clifton [Bush] and Jen [Thomas], they push us to our limits, which is great. Obviously if they don't do that, or if we don't have teammates to support us, or if Ashlee [Brehio] doesn't play the great ball that she did, then I don't have the opportunity to score."
In the waning moments of the matchup, the senior midfielder Brehio took a corner kick, finding Brinker in the right place at the right time, as she scored her first collegiate goal in her home debut.
Brinker is no stranger to finding the back of the net. As a high schooler, she scored 123 goals for the Eastern Alamance Eagles, giving her the title of the all-time goals leader for the school. Even though it's a familiar feeling to score for Brinker, this one was different.
"It really means a lot," Brinker said. "I'm obviously glad that I got on the field and got a chance to play. It's always amazing to score a goal. It boosts my confidence, and puts me in a good place for the season ahead."
The Phoenix has started the season off with a 1-0-1 record. The squad will ride this wave of momentum throughout the week before playing host to Gardner-Webb on Sunday, Aug. 24 at Rudd Field at 7 p.m.
'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 Sydney Spencer at sspencer9@elon.edu.
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