The Elon University men’s soccer team is 3-1 overall, including an impressive showing at last weekend’s Lipscomb Tournament in Nashville, Tenn., where they went 2-0, including a 3-2 win over host Lipscomb University. Elon’s showing impressed assistant coach Chris Little.
“We’re really pleased,” Little said. “It’s a difficult place to go. It’s a long trip. (We played) two very tough, organized and disciplined teams. So for our team it was a really good test. We got a lot of younger players [that] are getting some minutes, and for them to be put in that environment is a good test for them. We’re delighted in that we’ve been scoring lots of goals.”
Little credits his player’s devotion in the offseason to the team’s fast start.
“I think a lot of (our success) plays testimony into the work the players put in over the summer,” Little said. “They’ve worked very hard. The fitness of the players has been good to this point, we’re really pleased.”
Little is complimentary of the team’s improvement since their last home game, a 3-1 win over Campbell University on Sept. 1, and points to several different aspects of the team’s game.
“I think we’re improving every day and every game,” Little said. “Obviously the experience of the freshman is vital, the camaraderie and organization within the group is good, but if I was to pick one thing, I think our understanding and mentality of what it takes to win games.”
One thing Little would like to see the team improve upon, however, seems to be a familiar problem the Phoenix have dealt with the entire season.
“Getting a clean sheet, not conceding any goals in the game,” Little said. “That’s something we’re working hard at, and aspiring to and if we can achieve that we’re going to win a lot of games.”
Ahead looms a rematch with rival Coastal Carolina University. Coastal topped Elon twice last year, one of which was a 4-3 loss in the opening round of Elon’s first ever NCAA tournament appearance.
Senior forward Chris Thomas, who has experienced four years’ worth of struggles against the Chanticleers, says there is extra motivation for him and his teammates this time around.
“Since I’ve been here, we haven’t beat them once,” Thomas said. “We tied them my sophomore year, lost to them twice last year. (I) wouldn’t say we should’ve beat them but we put ourselves in position to beat them and gave up crappy goals at the end of the game.”
For Little, the game against the Chanticleers will be significant for the Phoenix players because of how last season ended.
“There’s certainly an added incentive there. Coastal Carolina is a very good team,” Little said. “We play them every year. There’s a good, healthy rivalry there between the teams. Obviously to go there in the national tournament and score three goals and lose was a tough thing. So we know what we want to work on and we know what we want to try to achieve and it’ll be a great test for us.”
Little knows how tough it is to play at Coastal, but believes the Phoenix will benefit from past trips to Conway, S.C.
“I certainly think (playing there before) helps,” Little said. “The players have been there, they’re used to the field. They have good support at Coastal Carolina, they’re very rowdy and so the players are going to know what to expect. The guys want to be playing the best teams in the county. That’s why these players want to come to Elon: to play the best teams.”
[box]Kickoff against Coastal Carolina is scheduled for Friday, Sept. 14 at 7 p.m. After that, the Phoenix will go to the College of William & Mary on Sept. 19 before returning home for a matchup against the University of North Carolina at Charlotte on Sept. 22.[/box]