2021, 2022 and now 2024: all Elon men’s soccer postseason losses to Hofstra. It seems the Phoenix has met its match as Elon lost to Hofstra in the 2024 Coastal Athletic Association Tournament semifinals 2-0 on Nov. 10.
This is the second straight year Elon has lost in the semifinals. Elon trails Hofstra 1-11-1 all-time. Despite Hofstra’s 4th seed being the lowest seeding in the CAA Tournament since 2017, the Hofstra Pride upset the top-ranked Elon squad. It was a heartbreaker for an Elon squad who is still searching for their first ever CAA Championship.
The first half was a scoreless, defensive deadlock. The opening minutes saw no real offensive chances as the two teams played conservative to get into the groove of the game. The first corner kick didn’t come until 10 minutes in and the first shot, which was by Hofstra, came 12 minutes into the first half.
Despite the lack of offense, Hofstra controlled the ball early. Hofstra managed to keep the ball in Elon’s territory for most of the first half and kept Elon away from their own. Elon looked lost defensively, unable to fend off Hofstra's advances. Some excellent passing by Hofstra gave them numerous chances to score, but the ball just didn’t find the net. Some of these chances came from corner kicks, which Hofstra got 4 of in the first half, compared to Elon’s 1.
Elon’s first shot of the game came at the 21st minute off senior Scott Vatne’s foot thanks to Vatne outrunning Hofstra defenders to get Elon near the goal, but the shot was wide. In the latter part of the first half, the Phoenix found more opportunities, including a promising shot by redshirt sophomore Sumner Nenninger with five minutes left in the half, but Hofstra’s stout defense held. It was a physical half that saw a combined 15 fouls from the two squads. Going into halftime, there was only one shot on goal as both teams found themselves battling for the first strike.
The second half started out ugly for the Phoenix. Hofstra shot out of the halftime break like a rocket, dominating from the first whistle. Early into the half, Hofstra scored a pair of goals in quick succession, coming within three minutes of each other. After a deadlocked first half, Hofstra broke through the Elon defense, as the Phoenix struggled to find shots. Elon got more shots off than they did in the first half, but didn’t get a single shot on goal.
As Elon’s offense puttered out, Vatne was taken out for the final 25 minutes of the game. A curious decision for the Phoenix as the coaches took out one of their best chances at scoring.
Head coach Marc Reeves declined Elon News Network’s request for an interview after the game.
Graduate student Victor Stromsten mulls over Elon's CAA Tournament semifinal loss as Hofstra players celebrate behind him. This was Stromsten's last year at Elon.
It was another great year for Elon, who finished with 10 wins and a CAA regular-season title. Reeves was named the CAA Coach of the Year for the second time in three years, Vatne was the CAA Men’s Soccer Player of the Year and Elon had five players named All-CAA. But it ended the way it has ended so often in recent years: with heartbreak in the postseason.
As the final seconds ticked away, players fell to the ground in agony and disbelief of how the season ended. Elon, a team in every sense of the word, had players hugging each other as tears fell. Even Reeves embraced his players as he cried, all while the faithful Elon crowd applauded the team’s efforts.
Sophomore Jordin Wilson and senior Petro Klishch react to their season-ending loss to Hofstra on Nov. 10.
It will be a tough offseason for the Phoenix as stars such as Vatne, graduate student Victor Stromsten and seniors Tomasz Wroblewski and Petro Klishch leave Elon behind. Elon will need to regroup in the offseason as it continues its search for a way to get over the hump and hoist the CAA Championship trophy.