ELON – The Elon women's soccer team (9-3-5, 4-2-3 CAA) begins its conference title defense Thursday against William & Mary (4-7-5, 3-3-3 CAA) in the quarterfinals of the CAA Tournament. The Phoenix will host the Tribe in a noon match at Rudd Field.

Elon is the No. 2 seed from the CAA South while William & Mary is the division's No. 3 seed. The winner will advance to face the South's regular season champion UNCW in Sunday's semifinals.  

Elon vs. William & Mary Briefing
Match Details: Nov. 5 | Elon, N.C. | Rudd Field | 12 p.m.
Watch: FloCollege
Live Stats: StatBroadcast
Admission: Free
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Elon Links: News | Roster | Schedule | Stats
William & Mary Links: News | Roster | Schedule | Stats

The William & Mary Series

• Elon holds a 7-5-2 edge in the head-to-head against William & Mary.
• The Phoenix topped the Tribe in a 2-0 victory at Rudd on Oct. 18. Elon scored two goals in the final 15 minutes and got a shutout in goal from Anica Carpenter.
• Elon and William & Mary also met in last year in a CAA quarterfinal in Williamsburg, with the Phoenix winning 1-0 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 6-2-1 in its last nine contests against the Tribe.
• The Phoenix is 4-1-1 all-time at home against William & Mary having won its last four home tilts against the Tribe.

 
Goalkeeper U

• Naomi Person became the second Phoenix goalkeeper this season to earn a CAA weekly award Monday, taking home CAA Co-Defensive Player of the Week.
• Person matched her career high Sunday against College of Charleston with seven saves in a 0-0 tie. The shutout was her second solo clean sheet of the season with both coming in CAA play.
• Person has now made seven saves in each of her last two starts. She also stopped seven shots Oct. 11 against Monmouth.
• Two different Phoenix goalies have won CAA Defensive Player of the Week in the last three weeks. Carpenter took home the weekly honor Oct. 19 following a shutout against William & Mary.

 
Top 100 Freshmen

• Earlier this season, Nicole Kleyner was featured in the TopDrawer Soccer Midseason Top 100 Freshmen List, checking in at No. 97.
• The rookie midfielder has seven points this season with three goals and one assist. She is tied for fourth among Phoenix goal scorers.
• Kleyner scored a goal in her college debut Aug. 13 against VCU to net the season's first CAA Rookie of the Week honors. She then scored the game-winning goal in the 86th minute of Elon's CAA championship rematch victory Sept. 24 against Stony Brook.

 
Storylines To Follow

• Red-Hot Offense: Elon leads the CAA in scoring offense (2.24 goals per game) and shots on goal per game (8.12 per game) while ranking second in assists per game (2.35 per game). The Phoenix has scored multiple goals in 11 of its 17 contests, including six goals in a road win against South Carolina State on Aug. 20 and five at VMI on Sept. 3. Elon has scored multiple goals in five of nine CAA games this fall after netting 24 goals in nonconference play, the most nonconference goals for the Phoenix since 2019.
• Balanced Attack: Elon's 38 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 fourth among CAA scorers with a team-best 19 points this season. The forward is tied for third in the conference in goals (7) after scoring against Hampton on Oct. 25 and tied for seventh 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. Her 58 career points are the most in program history among Phoenix that spent their entire playing career at the Division I level.
• 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 in points (15) and goals (5) in her debut Elon campaign. The midfielder had a three-point outing against Hampton (10/25) and leads the Phoenix with eight points in conference play this season. Her three goals in CAA play are also tied for the most on the Phoenix. 
• Bend It Like Beck: Jess Beck is tied with Tirado for a team-best three goals in CAA play after notching her third of the season against Hampton in Elon's last home match. The junior forward also scored in Elon's conference opener against Campbell and netted a goal to help the Phoenix come from two down to tie Monmouth on Oct. 11. Beck is fourth among all Elon scorers with eight points.
• Lo In The Flow: Lauren McCauley is third on the Phoenix with two goals in conference play. The senior scored against Monmouth (Oct. 11) and William & Mary (Oct. 18), the first time in her career she netted a goal in consecutive matches.
• Helping Hand: Talia Feigin is second in the CAA with eight assists on the campaign. The senior was named CAA Offensive Player of the Week on Oct. 26 after racking up four points with a goal and two helpers against Hampton. Feigin 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: Person has started 14 of Elon's 17 matches in goal this season, the first starts of her college career. She has contributed to three shutouts alongside Carpenter and has a pair of solo clean sheets against Campbell and Charleston. Her 3.36 saves per contest are the sixth most among CAA goalkeepers.
• 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 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 rank top five among Phoenix scorers. 
• Back-Line Security: Alexis Pierce played all 810 minutes on Elon's back line during regular season CAA play. Pierce leads the Phoenix in overall minutes (1,444), logging over 100 more minutes than any other Elon player this season. Defenders Megan Dwyer (1,239), Gelhaus (1,204) and Hill (1,164) have also spent over 1,000 minutes on the pitch this season.
• Home Sweet Home: Elon is unbeaten in its last 16 fixtures at Rudd Field, a streak that began with last year's season opener. The Phoenix is 12-0-4 in that stretch, which includes a 6-0-3 mark in CAA home matches and a 7-0-1 ledger this season. The Phoenix has gone two straight regular seasons without losing a home match for the first time in program history. 

 
Last Time Out

• Elon closed out its regular season with a 0-0 tie Sunday at College of Charleston.
• The shutout was Elon's third in conference play, with two coming in the last three matches.
• The Cougars outshot Elon, 11-5. Charleston also finished with a 5-1 advantage in corner kicks.
• McCauley paced the Phoenix with two shot attempts.
• Person made seven stops to anchor a shutout for the Phoenix.
• Pierce was the lone Phoenix to play all 90 minutes in the contest.
• This was the second straight scoreless draw between Elon and Charleston as the teams also played to a 0-0 tie at Rudd Field last season.

 
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.

 
Elon In The CAA Tournament

• This is the sixth time Elon has qualified for the CAA Tournament since joining the conference in 2014 and the team's third consecutive trip. The Phoenix has made six of the last eight conference tournaments.  
• Elon has won a pair of CAA championships, coming in 2025 and the spring 2021 season.
• Elon has won at least one match in four of its five previous CAA Tournament appearances.  
• All six of Elon's CAA Tournament appearances have come under head coach Neil Payne.  
• This will be the first home CAA Tournament game for the Phoenix. Elon previously hosted the 2021 tournament at Rudd but the Phoenix did not qualify.

 
CAA Tournament Breakdown 

• Elon is the No. 2 seed from the South Division. UNCW is the top seed from the South with William & Mary seeded No. 3.
• The winner of Thursday'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 1-1-0 in the regular season against the Tribe and Seahawks.  
• In the North bracket, Towson is the top seed, followed by Hofstra and Stony Brook. Elon went 1-0-1 against the North representatives.   
• The winners of Sunday's semifinals will advance to the CAA championship match on Nov. 14 or 15.  

 
Scouting William & Mary

• The Tribe earned the No. 3 seed from the CAA South after going 3-3-3 in conference play.
• William & Mary went 4-7-5 overall in the regular season and is coming off a 1-1 draw at Hampton over the weekend.
• The Tribe ranks No. 8 in the conference in both scoring offense and scoring defense.
• Mia Abbey leads William & Mary and ranks top 10 in the conference with 15 points this season. Her five goals are tied with freshman Ava Magnuson for the most on the Tribe.
• Ellie Leffler (3), Paige Seitz (2) and Lindsay Wilson (2) have also scored multiple goals this season for William & Mary.
• Abbey is pacing the Tribe with five assists on the campaign. Brooke Oswald is second on the team with three helpers.
• Ten of Magnuson's 11 points this season have come in CAA play. She is William & Mary's leading CAA goal scorer with five conference tallies.
• Gwen Doughty and Mia Tegeris have both started matches in goal this season for the Tribe. Doughty has started each of the last three and has a .750 save percentage in eight appearances.
• Julie Shackford is in her eighth season as the head coach of her alma mater.

 
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