The Elon University men’s soccer team remained undefeated with a 2-1 victory over Stony Brook on Sept. 21. Thanks to a strong first half, Elon managed to hold firm even as Stony Brook chipped away at the Phoenix in the second half. It was Elon’s first win after tying against Wake Forest on Sept. 17. 

Most of the damage from Elon offensively came in the first half as they converted two of their six goal attempts. 

The first one came 6 minutes into the contest when senior midfielder Scott Vatne converted a penalty kick after getting fouled by Stony Brook midfielder Trevor Harrison. It was his fifth goal of the season. 

After Elon had a couple opportunities to increase their lead, transfer sophomore defender Charlie Kitch capitalized when he scored off a corner kick from Vatne. 

While it was Kitch’s second goal of the season, he said he’s always ready to make an impact offensively. 

“I can’t remember the last time I scored two, so whenever I get up there, I’m always trying to get a goal,” Kitch told Elon News Network. 

For Vatne, it was the first game this season where he scored and assisted on a goal. 

Head coach Marc Reeves credited Vatne’s ability to set himself up along with others to score. He said his creativity is what makes him hard to defend. 

“He’s a really talented player,” Reeves said. “He’s very crafty, clever and tidy in tight areas. Vatne’s a good goal threat.”

Stony Brook couldn’t get much going offensively as two of senior goalkeeper Tomasz Wroblewski’s saves were in the first half. Junior midfielder Majaliwa Msabaha also had an impressive blocked shot when Stony Brook tried to cut the deficit in half. 

Elon’s 2-0 halftime lead marked the fourth time this season they had at least two goals in the first half and the fifth time they shut out an opponent. 

Reeves said strong starts have been a focus for the Phoenix, especially during home games. 

“Starting strong has been something we’ve emphasized this year,” Reeves said. “Sometimes you can catch a team a little bit cold from travel or timing, and if you got a little bit of cushion, it’s obviously helpful.”

Kitch also said he believed the team’s fast start was what ultimately made the difference in the game. 

“That start really carried us the whole game and it’s really important we got off in the right way,” Kitch said. “That was a hard game.”

Stony Brook tried to mount a comeback in the second half. They outshot Elon seven to two, but only got one goal out of those seven attempts. 

Their first and fourth attempts were their best chances of scoring. The first, made by Olsen Aluc, exceeded Wroblewski’s reach but went just over the net. Wroblewski later made a diving stop to keep Elon’s two goal lead intact. 

Though Reeves said there is room for improvement defensively, he was happy with how the team managed to hold firm the majority of the second half. 

“We need to defend better as a group,” Reeves said. “We can’t rely on Tommy to make big saves, but we did have resilient defending at times which is important if you want to win.”

Stony Brook finally got on the board when Sean Towny scored his second goal of the season. 

However, Elon’s defense held firm the rest of the way en route to their seventh victory. 

This is the best start Elon’s men’s soccer has had in nine years — where they went 14-6-1 in 2015. Following this game, the Phoenix moved to 7-0-1 overall and 3-0 in the Coastal Athletic Association. 

As for Stony Brook, the loss drops their record to 1-4-2. 

Elon will rest for a week before playing at 2 p.m. against Hofstra University.