The final regular season game for the Elon University men’s soccer team ended in a slugfest against William & Mary. For the first 70 minutes, it appeared as if Elon would notch a tie for the seventh time this year. But with the No. 1 spot in the Coastal Athletic Association South Division on the line, a goal by junior forward Jordin Wilson helped grind out a 1-0 win to advance to 7-2-6.
With the win, the Phoenix clinched the top spot in the CAA South Division, and secured a first round bye for playoffs.
Head coach Marc Reeves said the team should be very proud of the accomplishment. He said that while he believed the Phoenix could’ve captured the division earlier, he’s grateful the team came through.
“We’ve had some results where we should have won,” Reeves said. “We could’ve wrapped up this division many weeks ago, but we didn't. I’m really happy that we took the chance that we got and executed.”
Both teams had an opportunity to make a statement in the first half. Elon’s chance came during the 25 minute mark of the first half where a deep kick by junior defender Joe Taylor sailed right into the hands of sophomore goalie Karan Sobti. Shortly after, a header by junior defender Charlie Kitch was off target, keeping the game scoreless.
WIlliam & Mary also had their chances to take the lead. They had multiple shots that were on target, but graduate goalie Jackson Leavitt made two diving saves.
Neither team could gain any additional momentum and the game was tied heading into halftime.
In the second half, William & Mary had a terrific chance to score when junior Gabe Ruitenberg dribbled through Elon defenders. However, Leavitt just managed to get a hand on the ball and send it off course.
With 20 minutes left, Elon finally came through when Wilson managed to control a deep pass by redshirt sophomore midfielder Dominik Renz. Wilson patiently took his time before sending the ball to the bottom left corner of the net for the game’s first points.
Wilson said he has worked to take his time whenever he attempts a goal, and not speed through everything. He said he wanted to be more calm and composed on any scoring chance.
“As a freshman and sophomore, one thing that’s always been my feedback is to just take it slow,” Wilson said. “I’m trying to move past that and just take a deep breath and relax.”
Elon’s defense controlled the remainder of the match. They sealed the victory and recorded their tenth shutout of the season. In addition, the Phoenix extended their streak of not allowing any goals at home to eight games. Through all their games at Rudd Field, Elon has recorded a shutout in each one, going 5-0-3 in those matches.
Reeves said that as long as Elon continues to excel on the defensive end, they are going to be in every game going forward.
“It's a state of our program to be organized, disciplined, and tough to break down,” Reeves said. “When you're strong defensively from the front group all the way through, you keep yourself in every single game.”
Elon will rest for a week before hosting the winner between University of North Carolina Wilmington and Campbell University on Nov. 9 at 1 p.m.
“This program needs a CAA Championship and I just hope I can help bring that,” Wilson said.