Against a ranked team on the road in No. 24 Coastal Carolina University, the Elon University men’s soccer team hoped to lean on its stout defense, which has allowed just five goals going in to the game against the Chanticleers.
But for the first time all season, the Phoenix’s back line showed cracks, allowing three goals to the Chanticleers in a 3-1 loss Sept. 26 in Conway, S.C.
It was a back-and-forth contest that saw three goals scored in the span of 34 seconds in the first half.
The first of the flurry came in the 20th minute, when Coastal Carolina junior defender Gisli Helgason threw a ball into the box that junior forward Bryce Follensbee headed past Phoenix senior goalkeeper Nathan Dean and into the goal.
Twelve seconds later, sophomore forward Sergio Camargo hit a laser from 15 yards out that beat Dean to his left to give the Chanticleers the two-goal lead.
The Phoenix, though, would respond 22 seconds later when junior forward James Brace beat Coastal Carolina junior goalkeeper Devin Cook-Perales on a penalty kick to cut the lead to 2-1.
But nine minutes later the Chanticleers padded their lead on freshman midfielder Louis Dargent’s third goal of the season after a failed clearance by the usually reliable Phoenix defense gave him an opportunity from seven yards out that he slotted past Dean.
The Phoenix was unable to get any closer, and the Chanticleers moved to 5-3 on the season, while Elon dropped to 3-3-2.
Elon will return home for its second-to-last nonconference home game of the season against local rival High Point University on Sept. 30. Kickoff is slated for 7 p.m.