Women’s Soccer Travels To Northeastern For First CAA Matchup – Elon University Athletics

Elon, N.C.- The Elon Phoenix (5-0-1) returns to the pitch and begins CAA play this weekend against the Northeastern Huskies (0-5-3). Elon looks to continue their unbeaten run as they have gone eight straight games unbeaten dating back to last season.
 
Kickoff from Rudd Field will be at 1 pm.
 
The Phoenix looks to make back-to-back wins in CAA play after Elon closed out their season in 2023 with a 3-0 win over the College of Charleston. After their draw with High Point, Elon finished with their best start to a season ever and best non-conference record in program history.
 
How to Follow

• Sunday’s game with High Point will be streamed on FloFC, and you can watch the game by CLICKING HERE.
• Live stats will be available for the matchup with the Panthers and will be available by CLICKING HERE.
• Live updates will be available on both X and Instagram during the match @ElonWSoccer.

 
The All-Time Series

• Elon trails the all-time series with Northeastern 3-5-2.
• The Phoenix and Huskies met last season, but Elon fell 2-1 at Rudd Field.
• In Elon’s last game in Brookline, the Phoenix triumphed against Northeastern with a 2-1 win in overtime. Carson Jones found the back of the net in overtime to give the Phoenix the crucial three points.

 
Last Time Out

• Elon settled for a 0-0 draw with the High Point Panthers.     
• Elon created opportunities early with three corner kicks in the first 10 minutes quickly finding set piece opportunities.
• Isa Murdock found the first shot on goal from outside the box, but the attempt was snuffed out by the High Point keeper.
• After another flurry of corner kicks, a free ball found the head of Katie Lowe, but the attempt went high and wide.
• Katie Bisgrove was called into action once early, then High Point began to put shots in frame. Bisgrove made a spectacular save, diving to her left to stop an opportunity across the face of goal.
• Bisgrove made another athletic save two minutes later, in the 33^rd minute which kept the Panthers off the board.
• The freshman keeper made her final save of the first half with a leaping, two-handed effort to punch the ball over the bar to keep the score at 0-0.
• Elon nearly made the decisive blow when Lydia Totten found the ball at her feet, but her attempt sailed over the crossbar to keep the game tied.
• Kennedy Jones had an opportunity to break the deadlock after a free kick from Rachel Buckle soared over the heads of the Panthers and found Jones at the back post, but an outside-the-boot effort could not find the net.
• Both teams continued to sub in and out looking for the first goal of the match, but nothing would come of the chances in the final moments, and both settled for a draw.

 
Preseason All-Conference

• Sophomore forward Grace Gelhaus and graduate defender Katie Lowe were both selected to the Preseason All-CAA team honorable mention, released by the conference last Wednesday.
• Gelhaus is awarded the honor following two post-season honors last season with Katie Lowe receiving her third preseason All-CAA nod.  Dalfonso was one of three goalkeepers named to the preseason list and Jones joins her sister Carson as the only Phoenix sisters to both receive all-conference selections.
• Grace Gelhaus is coming off one of the best freshman seasons in recent Elon history. Gelhaus was selected to the All-Rookie team as well as All-CAA Third Team by the coaches last season. Gelhaus tied for the team lead in points (12)  and led the Phoenix in assists (4). She finished second among CAA freshmen last season in points and tied for the conference lead in assists among first-years.
• Katie Lowe returns to the preseason All-CAA list for the third time in five years. The graduate student was selected during the 2021 season following an All-CAA Rookie Team selection and Elon’s first CAA Tournament title in 2020. Lowe enters her fifth year having made 59 starts in 61 career games and serving as an integral part of Elon’s backline.

 
About the Phoenix

• The Phoenix returns its top 10 point producers from a season ago including all four double-digit point players: Grace Gelhaus, Lydia Totten, Ashlee Brehio, and Gabby Hoschek.
• The Phoenix returns six players who made at least ten starts a season ago including three key midfielders: Rachel Buckle, Kennedy Jones and Hoschek.  
• Forward Isa Murdock makes her return to the lineup following a redshirted season in 2023. During her first campaign, the Colorado native finished with three goals and two assists.
• Elon’s active leading goal scorer Ashlee Brehio following her four-goal season a year ago returns as well. Brehio who was selected to TopDrawer Top 100 Freshman List for her efforts as a first year.
• Elon was projected to finish 11th in the CAA preseason poll.
• In three of the past five seasons, the Phoenix have exceeded preseason predictions. Not only winning the CAA title in 2020-21, but in 2019 when the Phoenix were predicted to finish ninth and reached the CAA Tournament semifinals.
• Phoenix head coach Neil Payne enters his seventh season with Elon. Payne enters the season eight wins away from 50 in his head coaching career with the Phoenix.

Youth Movement

• Coach Payne and coach Sean Sandoval brought in another strong recruiting class featuring seven players from around the US and Canada. The class features two goalkeepers, a pair of defenders, two midfielders and a forward.
• 7 of the 28 members are first years while 16 of the members of the squad are still underclassman.
• Two of the sophomores happen to be twins, Maya and Jenna Abousaab. The Abousaab twins are one of just 22 pairs of twins in NCAA Division I women’s soccer.
• The class of 2027 features two local Raleigh products in Iliana Pardo and Gabby Hoschek. Pardo hailing from Leesville Road High School has represented the Puerto Rican U-20 women’s national team. Hoschek started every match for her USL W-League team, Wake FC, tallying four goals and two assists last summer.

 
Payne Adds to Staff

• Elon University women’s soccer head coach Neil Payne announced two new additions to its coaching staff earlier this week. Clifton Bush and Jenifer Thomas will both join the staff of the women’s soccer program for their upcoming season. 
• Clifton Bush joins the staff after serving as an assistant coach at Bellarmine University in Louisville. Bush has coached both at the collegiate and professional level following a four-year stint in the NWSL. Bush comes to Elon with North Carolina roots, having been the head coach at UNC Asheville from 2019-21. Bush was also an assistant with the Bulldogs for two seasons, working primarily with the goalkeepers.
•  Thomas joins the staff following a stint as youth coach at Real Colorado. She has been at the club since 2010, working with the ECNL and Athletico/Olympico teams. In 2017, she helped lead the U15 Real Colorado Olympico team to the US Youth Soccer National Championships. Thomas strengthens the Colorado connection, joining head coach Neil Payne and Sean Sandoval who both spent time at the club.

 
Colorado Connection

• For over a decade, Head Coach Neil Payne was the technical director for Real Colorado SC and has kept strong ties with the club. Payne has created a recruiting pipeline for the Phoenix and this year’s roster is ripe with Colorado talent.
• A pair of players come directly from the Real Colorado system with two forwards representing the club. Both senior Lydia Totten and redshirt-sophomore Isa Murdock both come from the club. 
• Another Colorado native is redshirt-freshman Ava Werner, who spent her time with the Colorado Rush on the Girl’s Academy circuit. Werner hails from Boulder, Colo.
• Most recently, the Phoenix announced an addition to the coaching staff in Jen Thomas. A former standout at Texas Tech and the University of Kansas, Thomas spent time as a youth coach with Real Colorado. She joins Sean Sandoval as the second assistant coach to showcase youth ties with the club.