Elon women’s soccer took on Hofstra University on Sept. 27 at Rudd Field. The Phoenix were looking to remain undefeated at home following a 2-1 win against Stony Brook University on Sept. 24.
As the game got underway, Hofstra took control of the ball early. They were passing the ball smoothly, and the Phoenix couldn't get control.
Junior defender Jessica Hill tried to stop the Pride to no avail.
Less than five minutes into the game, the Pride got the ball and shot it past redshirt sophomore goalie Naomi Person. Elon was down early, 0-1.
After the goal, the team still was unable to get going, and they had multiple error passes. Head coach Neil Payne was verbal from the sidelines and yelling commands to get his team out of this slow start.
A few minutes later, senior defender Grace Gelhaus had a shot at goal but missed it top right. As the half continued, the Phoenix started to play with some energy but were never able to find the back of the net.
As the half continued, the Phoenix started to connect on passes and start driving into enemy territory.
Freshman midfielder Nicole Kleyner had a steal that turned into a shot at goal, but it was blocked by the goalie. A few minutes later, Kleyner was hit in the head off a header and was down for a bit but walked off of the field.
After that injury, the intensity picked up for the Phoenix. Their ball pressure increased thanks to junior forward Jess Beck. Gelhaus continued to have crisp passes that would set her teammates up for a goal, but they could not convert.
At the end of the half, Beck and redshirt senior forward Isa Murdock both went down with injuries. Both were ushered to the sidelines as the half came to a close.
The team was down and needed to pick up the intensity if they wanted to pull out a win.
Junior Gabby Tirado said Coach Payne told them what they need to improve to keep their undefeated streak at home.
“In the first half, we know that teams want to beat us because we are the reigning champs, so that always comes with a price,” Tirado said. “He told us to settle down, play our game, connect passes and be the first to the ball. Just fixing up the little things so we can focus on bigger stuff.”
As the second half got underway, Payne made the decision to sub junior goalkeeper Anica Carpenter in for Person as the Phoenix looked to recover from the early goal they conceded.
Elon would bring the heat four minutes into the half with a fiery goal from Tirado that brought the game to 1-1. Tirado said that getting in a good position was essential to get the goal.
“We talked a lot about getting in front of the keeper,” Tirado said. “n the first half, we all had a lot of balls across, but we didn’t have people running in front of the keeper.”
From there, the two teams were in a constant battle that saw each team go on the attack. Carpenter was forced to make multiple saves, keeping Elon from conceding another goal off of a dangerous Hofstra free kick.
The Phoenix would create multiple chances in the half, with Tirado narrowly missing a header that would’ve handed Elon a lead over the Pride. Multiple Elon breakaways were abruptly halted due to offside calls.
Three yellow cards for unsporting would break up the action in the second half, two of them belonging to Elon and one being delivered to Hofstra after a hard foul.
Hofstra would come away with renewed vigor, taking a shot that narrowly missed the crossbar, forcing Carpenter to make a flying attempt at a save. Elon played aggressively on defense, with freshman defender Hannah Carlson coming away with a massive stop that kept the team alive.
The Phoenix were constantly pushing for their next chance, and late in the second half, it looked like the team would walk away with another win. A pass from Kleyner to senior forward Talia Feigin was crossed to Murdock. After an ankle injury in the first, Murdock came back in with 11 minutes left in the game. She nearly got Elon what would’ve been a game winning goal.
Hofstra came up with the stop, and the Phoenix would end the game in the attacking end of the field where they attempted to score off of a series of throw-ins. Elon ended the game after a hard-fought second half with a 1-1 final score.
Payne said he was proud of how his team fought, but there are some things that they can improve on to be ready for their next matchup.
“We had some good chances, even though we didn’t play as well in the first half,” Payne said. “We had some pretty good looks on goal that we should have done better with, so I think that’s the first takeaway. The second takeaway is that you’ve got to bring a physicality to the game, as well as good technical play.”
Elon will continue Coastal Athletic Conference play with a three-game stint on the road. The Phoenix next play at home Oct. 18 at 1 p.m.