The Elon University men's soccer team won its first Southern Conference tournament title in program history with a 3-2 victory against UNC Greensboro Nov. 13 at the Ted Mackorell Soccer Complex in Boone. With the tournament win, Elon also clinched an automatic bid to the NCAA tournament for the first time in school history.

"I think (getting to the NCAA tournament) is massive for our program," head coach Darren Powell said. "It's a piece that was missing, so now for the first time in the program's history to make the NCAA tournament, it's definitely going to get us national recognition for our program."

Elon is one of 48 teams in the tournament field and will play at 7 p.m. Thursday at Coastal Carolina University in the first round. The game will be a rematch against Coastal Carolina, who beat Elon 2-1 on a neutral field earlier this season.

The Phoenix, the SoCon tournament's No. 6 seed, entered the championship game against the Spartans full of confidence after already having upset two higher seeds in the tournament: No. 3 Georgia Southern University in Statesboro, Ga., and No. 2 seed and No. 16-ranked Furman University on a neutral field in Boone in the semifinals.

In the championship, the Phoenix jumped out to a 3-0 lead with two goals from junior forward Jordan Smith in the 42nd and 73rd minutes with another added on a penalty kick by junior midfielder Gabe Latigue in the 47th minute.

"I thought (Sunday) we came with a good game plan and the players were executing it very well," head coach Darren Powell said. "We passed the ball well against a very good UNCG team and we capitalized on our chances to get a three goal lead."

UNCG, the tournament's top seed and defending champion, made a furious comeback attempt, scoring two goals in 60 seconds late in the second half to make the game interesting.

"UNCG, as the No. 1 seed, never gave up kept playing to the very end," Powell said. "(They) actually scored two pretty good goals that made the last part of the game, the last eight minutes there, a little more nerve-racking."

With the win, Elon becomes only the second six seed to ever win the SoCon tournament title. The win gives the Phoenix an automatic bid to the NCAA tournament, also known as the College Cup, which starts Nov. 17 at campus sites around the country and culminates at the final four in Hoover, Ala., Dec. 9-11.

The elation still hasn't sunk in for some, Smith said.

"(Making the NCAA tournament is) unreal, I don't believe it," Smith said. "It hasn't hit me yet that we won (Sunday) and are going to the NCAA tournament."

Smith was named to the All-Tournament team along with teammates Latigue, senior defender Austen King and senior midfielder Nick Millington. Millington was named the tournament's Most Outstanding Player.

With a win on Thursday against Coastal Carolina, Elon would advance to play the University of North Carolina, which enters the College Cup as the No. 1 ranked team in the country and the tournament's top seed.

"I think we can go as far as we want to go," Smith said. "This team has all the skill and capabilities to beat any team in the nation."