The No. 10 Elon University men’s soccer team lost 1-0 on the road Oct. 24 to No. 24 Hofstra University in a battle of ranked Colonial Athletic Association (CAA) teams.
Hofstra sophomore midfielder Mani Walcott scored in the 79th minute to put the Pride ahead when he tapped in junior midfielder Rory Murphy's pass.
The win for Hofstra makes it the regular season CAA champion, meaning the Pride will host the CAA semi-finals and finals later this season. With a win over or a draw against the College of Charleston in its season finale, Elon can earn a bye past the quarterfinals by finishing in the top two in the conference.
Saturday, chances were few and far between in the against the Pride, as most of Elon’s offense in the first half came through senior midfielder James Brace.
Brace nearly gave the Phoenix the lead with Elon’s first shot of the match, but the shot was saved by senior goalkeeper Patric Pray. Brace had another chance in the eighth minute, but his shot drifted right of the post.
Brace had another close range effort of an Elon counter-attack in the 33rd minute, but Pray was once again able to get the better of him.
Hofstra was the dominant side for the majority of the second half, but struggled to manage quality chances. In the 77th minute, Murphy's shot from the left wing swerved wide of the near post.
The Pride took the lead two minutes later when Walcott scored his third goal of the season.
Junior midfielder Taylor Adler had a shot in the 84th minute after the Pride failed to clear the ball out its box. Pray made a diving save to his right to maintain the slender lead in what proved to be Elon’s best chance to level the match.
The Phoenix will return home for its final nonconference match of the regular season at 7 p.m. Oct. 28 against Radford University, who currently boasts a 3-match winning streak.