Saturday, September 25
Davidson, N.C.
7:00 p.m.
Davidson College
vs
Elon
Allen Page
Men's Soccer to Open SoCon Schedule Saturday Night
9/23/2010 3:56:59 PM | Men's Soccer
DAVIDSON, N.C. – The first of seven crucial Southern Conference matches for the Davidson men's soccer team will begin Saturday night at 7 p.m. in Alumni Stadium, as the Wildcats will host Elon in their SoCon opener.
“This is a massive game - a conference opener, at home,” said head coach Matt Spear. “We are aiming for a SoCon Championship, so winning or losing this first game will not decide our fate, but it does certainly impact the future.
“Both teams will fight for each play and commit themselves to a competitive, entertaining match. There is no question that our fan base will be a crucial boost.”
Fans unable to attend can follow the action via live video and live stats.
Scouting the Wildcats: Davidson enters with a 4-1-2 record through the first seven games of the season, all against non-conference opponents, and is earning Top 25 votes in the NSCAA/HendrickCars.com and SoccerTimes.com coaches polls. Their lone loss came at No. 17 UCLA, while they also tied No. 13 UC Santa Barbara. Following a three-game road trip, the Wildcats defeated Virginia Tech, 1-0 in their return home to Alumni Stadium Tuesday night. The shutout was their third of the season and first over an ACC opponent since 2003. Preseason All-SoCon senior midfielder Alex Caskey has scored the game-winning goals in Davidson's last three wins, coming through with a header late in the first half against the Hokies on Tuesday. He now leads the team in scoring with four goals and an assist, which ranks him second in the SoCon. With a single-season career-best three shutouts in 2010, junior goalkeeper Chip Sanders has lowered his goals against average to 0.96. Davidson's defenders, led by Preseason All-SoCon senior Greg Macnamara, have also played well, holding Virginia Tech to nine shot attempts, four on goal, in their most recent outing.
Scouting the Phoenix: Elon is unbeaten in their last four matches after dropping their first two of the season to High Point and Charlotte. They improved to 2-2-2 with wins over Richmond (4-0) and Old Dominion (1-0) and draws with Jacksonville (2-2) and, in their last outing, Coastal Carolina (2-2). Picked to finish second in the Southern Conference in the Preseason Coaches Poll, Elon is led by preseason All-SoCon picks forward Chris Thomas, midfielder Brad Franks and goalkeeper Clint Irwin. Thomas, the 2009 SoCon Freshman of the Year, leads the league in shots per game with a 3.83 average and is followed by teammate Gabe Latigue (3.33). Thomas ranks fourth in the SoCon with 1.33 eight points (four goals). Irwin, who made the NSCAA All-South Region first team in 2009, has the second-lowest goals against average in the conference at 0.78.
“Elon is again a very good team,” said Spear. “Coach Powell does a wonderful job to prepare and motivate his team. Their players are a talented group, from the back with goalkeeper Clint Irwin to the front with striker Chris Thomas.”
The Series: Davidson is 2-5 all-time against Elon, last winning in 2005. The Phoenix have prevailed in the last three meetings, twice winning in overtime. At Elon last season, Davidson dropped a 2-1 decision in overtime. The loss was just Davidson's second in 11 games to that point.
Up Next: Davidson will host Radford Wednesday at 7 p.m. in Alumni Stadium, before returning to the road for a challenging stretch of four matches that includes conference foe College of Charleston (Oct. 2), No. 10 Duke (Oct. 5), and conference foes Wofford (Oct. 8) and Furman (Oct. 12).
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