Elon women’s soccer hosted Stony Brook University on Sept. 24 at Rudd Field. The Phoenix were hoping to get their second straight conference win.
As the game kicked off, Stony Brook got an early shot at goal and was able to contain possession for the first few minutes.
The Phoenix had multiple chances to get on the board early. Junior Megan Dwyer had a crisp pass to freshman Nicole Kleyner, but the ball was shot straight at the goalie.
The Phoenix had some good passes as the match continued, and they maintained strong ball control. Redshirt senior Isa Murdock also had a chance to get the Phoenix on the board but just missed the top left corner.
The Seawolves had few shots on goal, but redshirt sophomore Naomi Person had been fighting hard for the Phoenix. She didn’t allow any shots past her.
As the half continued, it was a neck-and-neck game with neither team being able to strike first. The Phoenix were clicking as a unit defensively until an error kick by junior Gabby Tirado allowed the Seawolves to find the ball and score. Stony Brook led late in the first half, 1-0.
Kleyner said that after the Seawolves scored, the team knew they had to lock in.
“We definitely realized that we needed to pick it up, and we did that because quickly after we were able to score again,” said Kleyner. “We had to have the mentality to stay in it and not give up.”
The Phoenix responded almost two minutes later. Senior defender and midfielder Jordan Green caught the ball through traffic and scored. The Phoenix tied the game, 1-1.
As the half came to a close, the Phoenix had multiple chances to score but weren’t able to connect. The team was in a tough battle heading into halftime.
Both sides got off to a slow start in the second half. In the 56th minute, the Phoenix won their first corner of the half.
Junior forward Jess Beck curled it into the goalie box, triggering a header towards goal. The header was blocked, and the Seawolves launched a counterattack. A Stony Brook forward was brought down by Phoenix redshirt junior Alexis Pierce. The following free kick was fired wide left of the goal.
The Phoenix began to push toward goal and had their first good chance to score of the half. Senior midfielder Jenna Abousaab came up the pitch in a two-on-two. Abousaab opted to take the shot herself from just outside the box, leaving the goalkeeper with a straightforward save.
As the game progressed, the intensity increased. In the 69th minute, Dwyer was shown a yellow card for an overzealous tackle. A minute later, a Stony Brook midfielder came flying into Elon’s redshirt sophomore goalkeeper Person, and the referee brandished another yellow card.
In the 85th minute, Elon was awarded a corner as time was waning. Senior forward Talia Feigin whipped in the cross, and it was nodded down by senior midfielder Isabel DiPrima. Kleyner took her chance and fired the ball into the back of the net, giving the Phoenix the lead with five minutes to play.
The Seawolves continued to fight down to the final whistle. In the 89th minute, a Stony Brook corner came in but was confidently punched away by Person to seal the win for the Phoenix.
Head coach Neil Payne said he was proud of how his team performed.
“I think it was a good physical game by both teams, but that’s the kind of team we are,” Payne said. “We’ve got a mindset that we won’t give up, and we have been particularly good at defending leads and closing out games.”
The Phoenix are currently undefeated at home, moving to the top of the CAA South with a 7-1-2 season record.
Elon takes on Hofstra University at 1:00 p.m. Sept. 26 on Rudd Field in their next conference clash.