ELON – The Elon women's soccer team (7-3-4, 2-2-2 CAA) returns home Sunday for its first October home match against William & Mary (4-6-3, 3-2-1 CAA) at Rudd Field. Kickoff is scheduled for 1 p.m.

Elon vs. William & Mary Briefing
Match Details: Oct. 18 | Elon, N.C. | Rudd Field | 1 p.m.
Watch: FloCollege
Live Stats: StatBroadcast
Admission: Free
Elon Links: News | Roster | Schedule | Stats
William & Mary Links: News | Roster | Schedule | Stats
 
The William & Mary Series

• Elon holds a 6-5-2 edge in the head-to-head against William & Mary.
• The Phoenix avenged a regular season loss to the Tribe in last fall's CAA Tournament, winning 1-0 in the quarterfinal round at Martin Family Stadium. Ashlee Brehio scored the game's lone goal in the first half off a Jessica Hill assist and Katie Bisgrove produced a clean sheet in goal.
• Elon is 5-2-1 in its last eight contests against the Tribe.
• This will be William & Mary's first trip to Rudd since 2024 when Elon prevailed for a 2-1 victory. Isa Murdock scored the game-winning goal in the 84th minute.

 
Storylines To Follow

• Red-Hot Offense: Elon ranks first among CAA teams in goals per game (2.286), assists per game (2.571) and shots on goal per game (7.86). The Phoenix has scored multiple goals in nine of its 14 contests, including six goals in a road win against South Carolina State on Aug. 20 and five at VMI on Sept. 3. Elon scored 24 goals in nonconference play, the most nonconference goals for the Phoenix since 2019.
• Balanced Attack: Elon's 32 goals this season have come from 15 different scorers. Additionally, of the 22 field players to log minutes for Elon this season, 18 have notched at least one point.
• Hats Off For Isa: Isa Murdock is third among CAA scorers with a team-best 17 points this season. The forward is tied for third in the conference in goals (6) and tied for fourth in assists (5). Murdock became the first Phoenix to score a hat trick since 2023 earlier this season with three goals against VMI. She was named CAA Offensive Player of the Week on Sept. 7 and exceeded 50 career points earlier this season.
• First-Time Goal Scorers: Six different Elon players have scored their first career goal this season – Nicole Kleyner (3), Maya Abousaab (2), Hannah Carlson, Isabel DiPrima, Jessica Hill and Emerson Rogers. Gabby Tirado's four goals this season are also her first with the Phoenix after transferring to Elon from Marist.
• The Great Gabby: Tirado is second on the Phoenix with 12 points and four goals in her debut Elon campaign. She leads the Phoenix with five points through the first six CAA contests. The junior netted a goal in back-to-back CAA matches earlier this season, converting against Hofstra and UNCW.
• Helping Hand: Talia Feigin is tied for second in the CAA with six assists on the campaign after assisting on goals in each of Elon's first two CAA victories. The senior became the first Elon player to notch three assists in a match since 2023 with a trio of second-half helpers on Sept. 3 at VMI.
• GG: Grace Gelhaus, the reigning CAA Defensive Player of the Year, has seven points this season with one goal and five assists. Gelhaus had an assist in Elon's CAA opening victory over Campbell on Sept. 20.
• Person Of Interest: Naomi Person has started 13 of Elon's 14 matches in goal this season, the first starts of her college career. She has contributed to three shutouts alongside Anica Carpenter and added her first career solo shutout Sept. 20 against Campbell.
• Beck Scoring: Beck is tied with Tirado for a team-best two goals in CAA play. The junior forward scored in Elon's conference opener against Campbell and netted a goal to help the Phoenix come from two down to tie Monmouth over the weekend. Beck is tied for third among all Elon scorers with eight points.
• Kleyner Plays Hero: Kleyner scored the game-winning goal for the Phoenix in its CAA championship rematch against Stony Brook on Sept. 24, converting in the 86th minute to help Elon win, 2-1. Kleyner became the first Elon freshman to net a game-winning goal since Jordan Green against Hampton in 2023.
• Rookies Of The Week: Elon swept the first two CAA Rookie of the Week awards this season, with Kleyner winning it on Aug. 17 before Hannah Carlson made it back-to-back for the Phoenix by earning the honor on Aug. 24. 
• Let's Go, Dan: Green is having a career-best scoring season. The senior captain scored her career-best third goal of the season against Stony Brook, helping the Phoenix win the CAA championship rematch. Her eight points this season are also a career best and are tied with Feigin for the third most on the Phoenix.
• Back Line Security: Alexis Pierce has played all 540 minutes on Elon's back line during CAA play. Pierce leads the Phoenix in overall minutes (1,174), logging over 100 more minutes than any other Elon player this season.
• Home Sweet Home: Elon is unbeaten in its last 14 fixtures at Rudd Field, a streak that began with last year's season opener. The Phoenix is 10-0-4 in that stretch, which includes a 4-0-3 mark in CAA home matches and a 5-0-1 ledger this season.
• All-CAA Honorees: The Phoenix was picked to finish first in the CAA South Division preseason poll. Additionally, Gelhaus, Murdock, Katie Bisgrove and Ava Hellner were all named to the preseason all-conference team. 
• CAA South Situation: Elon currently sits alone in third in the CAA South Division standings, two points behind the Tribe for second place. An Elon victory would vault the Phoenix past William & Mary and into solo second in the division.

 
Last Time Out

• Elon came from two goals down to tie Monmouth on Sunday, securing a 2-2 result in New Jersey.
• Monmouth went ahead 2-0 with a pair of first-half goals by Chloe Messer.
• The Phoenix cut its halftime deficit to one after Beck scored in the 39th minute off an assist from Murdock.
• Elon took the first four shots of the second half and eventually got an equalizing goal from Lauren McCauley in the 63rd minute.
• Naomi Person made a season-high seven saves in goal, four of which came in the second half. The Phoenix staved off Monmouth in the closing minutes with the Hawks firing seven shots in the final 10 minutes of regulation.
• Monmouth outshot the Phoenix 27-9 on the day but finished with just a 10-7 advantage in shots on goal. Elon put seven of its nine shot attempts on target.
• This was Elon's first tie after trailing by multiple goals since Oct. 23, 2018, when the Phoenix came from two down for a 2-2 draw at UNCW.
• The tie was Elon's second in conference play this season. The Phoenix also came from behind to earn a point against Hofstra on Sept. 27.
• Elon has allowed the first goal in each of its last five CAA matches. The Phoenix has come from behind to win or tie three of those contests.
• This was Elon's first time scoring multiple goals since Sept. 24 against Stony Brook, ending a season-long streak of three straight matches scoring one or fewer goals.

 
Defending Champions

• Elon won its second CAA title last fall and its first since the spring 2021 season.
• The Phoenix finished third in the South Division and clinched a CAA Tournament berth with a tie against College of Charleston on the last day of the regular season. Elon rode a six-match unbeaten streak into the postseason.
• Elon started its tournament with a 1-0 road win over William & Mary behind an Ashlee Brehio goal. In the semifinals, the Phoenix eliminated UNCW, the South's top seed, on the road via a penalty shootout following a scoreless draw to advance to the championship match.
• In the CAA final, Elon upended Stony Brook on the road in penalty kicks after a 1-1 decision on Long Island. Bisgrove made 10 saves in the contest to finish Elon's championship run with 28 stops.
• The Phoenix led the CAA last season in goal differential, goals against average, save percentage and shutout percentage. Elon allowed just 16 goals in 21 matches, conceding just 11 times in conference play.
• Elon also had a top-three scoring offense in the conference, netting 1.78 goals per match in CAA play.

 
Scouting William & Mary

• William & Mary is 4-6-3 overall this season and currently occupies second place in the CAA South standings with 10 points.
• Three of the Tribe's four victories this season have come in conference play. William & Mary has beaten Drexel, Campbell and Hofstra but is coming off a 1-0 setback at Stony Brook over the weekend.
• The Tribe is 2-3-2 on the road this season with wins over American and Hofstra. William & Mary also tied College of Charleston on the road to kick off CAA play.
• Mia Abbey leads the Tribe with 13 points on the season. Her five assists are tied for the fourth most among CAA scorers.
• Ava Magnuson is pacing William & Mary with five goals, all of which have come in conference play. Of Magnuson's 11 points on the campaign, 10 have come in CAA contests.
• Ellie Leffler (3), Paige Seitz (2) and Lindsay Wilson (2) also have multiple goals for the Tribe this season.
• Mia Tegeris has started each of William & Mary's last seven games in goal after Gwen Doughty made four starts earlier this season. Tegeris has made 38 saves and has a 0.776 save percentage. She has a pair of shutouts in CAA play.
• As a team, William & Mary ranks No. 5 in the CAA in goals per game.
• Julie Shackford is in her eighth season as the head coach of her alma mater.

 
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