After failing to secure a win in its first seven away matches, the Phoenix finally got a victory away from Rudd Field with a 2-1 win against The Citadel Oct. 9. The team now has five games remaining in its Southern Conference regular season, three of which will be played at Elon, where the Phoenix has lost only once this season.
The team is looking to carry the momentum from its win against The Citadel into its upcoming games and is excited to return to play at Rudd Field, sophomore forward Kendall Stanley said.
"I feel like a home game is so motivational," she said. "You're on your home turf, and when all of our fans come it makes it even better. We have this motivation, and now that we have this streak of home games, it's going to motivate us even more."
The Phoenix will host SoCon rival Furman University at 7 p.m. Friday and Wofford College at 2 p.m. Sunday.
Stanley scored both goals in the team's comeback win against The Citadel. After trailing 1-0 at halftime, the forward tied the game in the 58th minute and then netted the game-winner on a 20-yard strike in the 81st minute.
Head coach Chris Neal said that he was pleased with both his team's play and Stanley's individual effort.
"The second half effort (against The Citadel) was the best we've had all year," Neal said. "It was a very rewarding victory. We got a fantastic goal — one of the best goals I've ever seen in my four years at Elon."
Earning that first win on the road is a sign the team is getting tougher and more experienced, Neal said.
"We still have a lot of young players on the field," he said. "Learning how to grind out wins on the road in a tough atmosphere is a learning process."
The team's goal is to be in the top four in the SoCon standings by the end of the season, Neal said. If that happens, the Phoenix will host a first round game in the SoCon tournament, which begins Oct. 30.
The remainder of the tournament will be hosted by UNC Greensboro Nov. 4-6. Elon currently sits in seventh place out of 12 teams in the SoCon standings with a conference record of 2-2-2 and an overall record of 4-6-4.
"We really believe that we can win every single game," Neal said.
Stanley described the team's play against The Citadel as the "missing puzzle piece" in terms of every player giving her best effort and working well together as a team. She added that the players want to hold on to "this feeling" earned from winning on the road and everyone playing well and carry that momentum into the remainder of the SoCon season.
"When we're on our game, we're unbeatable because everyone is giving 100 percent," she said.