Elon University’s men’s soccer team fell to the Hofstra University Pride 2-0 on Senior Day in a crucial Colonial Athletic Association game.
Early in the match, Hofstra dominated possession and applied significant offensive pressure. They led the Phoenix from the jump in shots on goal and finished the match with a 16-7 advantage in shots.
After a Hofstra shot on goal, redshirt junior goalie Peter Wentzel gained possession and attempted a routine pass to an Elon defender. However, Hofstra’s midfielder Hendrik Hebbeker stole the ball and scored in the 19th minute to put the Pride ahead 1-0.
Head Coach Marc Reeves said the mistake the Phoenix made cannot happen and that the team needs to be smarter in these situations.
“Little bit of our own creation for that first goal,” Reeves said. “We need to make sure we know when to play safe in certain areas. What we can learn from it is making sure we continue that play in a positive way.”
After the Hofstra goal, the Phoenix looked for a tying score, but came up empty. In the 20th minute, Elon had its best chance to score of the half on a corner kick, but Hofstra goalie Wessel Speel made a play in the six yard box, snatching the ball out of the air before Elon had a chance to score.
By the end of the first half, Hofstra had seven shots on goal compared to Elon’s two.
Elon began to pick up its game in the second half. In the first 20 minutes of the second half, Elon had many chances. Sophomore forward Jack Dolk had two good chances in the 59th and 60th minutes, but could not capitalize.
In the 69th minute, Hofstra struck again to make the score 2-0 and put the game even more out of reach for the outmatched Phoenix.
As Reeves’ first recruiting class, he said the seniors of this team inspire their teammates. Reeves said he was sorry his team could not get a win for his senior class, but said he is now focused on getting them a chance to play in the CAA Tournament.
“We’ve had a lot of good memories here-lot of overtime wins, a lot of good wins but you know that last one on senior day you want it to go well,” Reeves said. “The most important thing is we try to keep our season alive to get them into a playoff spot if we can.”
With the loss, Elon falls from fourth to fifth in the CAA standings, and will need a win in its final match against William & Mary on Saturday, Nov. 6 to have a chance of qualifying for the CAA Tournament.
Seven teams entered the day within six points of first place in the CAA standings and just the top four after will qualify for the CAA Tournament after the regular season concludes next Saturday. Reeves said the race to make the conference tournament is incredibly tight.
“The CAA is incredibly tough,” Reeves said. “It’s a battle royale for those four spots.”