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ELON – The Elon University women’s soccer team (1-0-1) welcomes Gardner-Webb (0-1-1) to Rudd Field on Sunday for its annual new-student orientation tailgate and pep rally game. The contest will begin at 7 p.m. with the pregame tailgate starting at 6 p.m.
Elon vs. Gardner-Webb Briefing
Match Details: Aug. 24, 2025 | Elon, N.C. | Rudd Field | 7 p.m.
Watch: FloCollege
Live Stats: StatBroadcast
Welcome Class of 2029!
- Elon welcomes the Class of 2029 to Rudd on Sunday night for a new-student orientation tailgate and pep rally.
- The tailgate will begin at 6 p.m. with food trucks opening on Phoenix Drive. Students can show their Phoenix Card to get free food from the trucks.
- The food trucks will be available for fans to enjoy in addition to students. Fans will need to pay cash at the truck.
- Elon’s spirit squads will perform at 6:20 p.m.
- Attendance for the game is free.
The Gardner-Webb Series
- The Phoenix leads the all-time series against Gardner-Webb, 16-0.
- Last season, Elon picked up a 2-1 road victory over the Runnin’ Bulldogs. The Phoenix trailed 1-0 at halftime, but second-half goals from Gabby Hoschek and Isa Murdock sealed a successful comeback bid.
- This will be Elon’s first time hosting Gardner-Webb since 2021, when the Phoenix came away with a 2-0 victory at Rudd.
Last Time Out
- Elon earned its first win of 2025 last Sunday against VMI, defeating the Keydets, 4-0, at Rudd Field.
- Junior Grace Gelhaus scored Elon’s first two goals of the contest in a 21-second span. She converted in the 26th minute on a dish from Hoschek before striking again on assists by Lilly McFadden and Murdock.
- The Phoenix tacked on another pair of goals in the second half, the first of which was scored by Lauren McCauley. In the 60th minute, after Gia Milano served a cross from the right side of the box that deflected off VMI’s goalie, McCauley converted a successful bicycle kick for her first goal of the season.
- Freshman Abby Brinker added her first career tally in the 82nd minute. After Ashlee Brehio sent a corner into the box, Brinker headed the ball past the goalkeeper and into the top left corner of the goal.
- The Phoenix extended its unbeaten streak over non-conference opponents to eight with the victory.
- Elon is now unbeaten in its last 15 home openers, matching the streak of 15 straight victories in season openers it set with a draw against VCU. The last eight home opening wins have come under head coach Neil Payne.
- Under Payne, Elon has delivered eight consecutive clean sheets in home openers. The last goal scored against the Phoenix in a home opener came in 2017.
Brick Wall Bisgrove
- On Monday, sophomore goalkeeper Katie Bisgrove was tabbed as the CAA Defensive Player of the Week after starting each of Elon’s first two contests in goal.
- Bisgrove, who landed on the preseason All-CAA Team, made eight saves in Elon’s season opener against VCU. She matched her career high, which she set against Towson last season.
- Bisgrove then anchored a clean sheet for the Phoenix in a 4-0 victory versus VMI on Sunday. She played the full 90 minutes in goal to reach 6.5 career shutouts.
- It was the sophomore goalkeeper’s second career CAA weekly award after taking home CAA Rookie of the Week last season.
Preseason Accolades
- Elon was picked to finish first in the new CAA South Division, as the conference unveiled its preseason polls on Aug. 11. The Phoenix received nine of 12 first place votes and garnered 63 total points in the vote by the league’s head coaches.
- The Phoenix also had three players earn Preseason All-CAA recognition. Junior defender Grace Gelhaus and sophomore goalkeeper Katie Bisgrove earned a spot on the Preseason All-CAA Team while junior midfielder Gabby Hoschek was tabbed a Preseason All-CAA honorable mention.
- Gelhaus was an All-CAA First Team selection a season ago after making 16 starts in 18 appearances for the Phoenix. She led Elon’s defenders in goals (2), assists (3) and points (7) while logging the full 90 minutes on seven occasions. In Elon’s CAA quarterfinal victory over College of Charleston, Gelhaus assisted on Elon’s opening goal and notched the game-winning tally in the final five minutes to lift the Phoenix to a 2-1 victory.
- Bisgrove earned All-CAA Rookie Team honors as a freshman in 2024. She made 15 starts in net for the Phoenix, delivering 10 victories, the second most by an Elon freshman in the program’s Division I tenure. Bisgrove secured 66 saves in her rookie campaign and had 5.5 shutouts, one of just 15 Division I freshmen to register five or more clean sheets last season. She took home CAA Rookie of the Week on Sept. 23 following a five-save outing in a 2-1 victory over Northeastern.
- Hoschek appeared in all 18 contests for Elon is 2024 on her way to earning All-CAA Second Team recognition. She totaled four goals, three assists and 11 points a season ago, with four of those points (1g, 2a) coming in Elon’s 4-2 triumph at Wofford. The midfielder also netted goals against Gardner-Webb, Northeastern and Hofstra.
Meet The Phoenix: Returners
- Elon returns 20 players from last season, which includes Bisgrove, Gelhaus and Hoschek, all of whom earned Preseason All-CAA recognition.
- Murdock and senior Ashlee Brehio are back for the Phoenix this season after they both scored five goals a year ago. Brehio finished tied for second on the team last season with 12 points and tallied 15 goals in her first three seasons with the Phoenix. Murdock returned last season after missing the 2023 campaign due to injury, notching 11 points.
- Another key returner is redshirt junior midfielder Ava Hellner, who notched seven points (2g, 3a) in 2024. She played in all 18 games a season ago, logging the full 90 minutes on seven occasions. Hellner has started both of Elon’s games this season.
- Juniors Jordan Green and Lauren McCauley are back for the Phoenix this season. Green appeared in all 18 games in 2024, tallying two assists, while McCauley netted three goals in 17 appearances. Green has started both games this season for the Phoenix, while McCauley scored her first goal of the campaign against VMI.
- Sophomores Jessica Hill and Jess Beck also return for Elon following productive debut campaigns. Hill started 16 contests on the back line in 2024, logging 1,454 minutes, while Beck made nine appearances and scored her first career goal in a conference win over William & Mary. Hill has started both games this season.
- Returners Megan Dwyer and Alexis Pierce have both started on Elon’s back line in each of the first two games.
Meet The Phoenix: Newcomers
- The Phoenix welcomes a trio of transfers to the fold this season.
- Gia Milano comes to Elon following two seasons at Seton Hall. She appeared in 33 matches with the Pirates as a midfielder and tallied her first assist with the Phoenix in the win over VMI.
- Junior Talia Feigin spent the last two seasons at Houston, appearing in eight contests in both 2023 and 2024. She scored her first collegiate goal in 2023 against Louisiana Tech.
- After two seasons at Maryland, Isabel DiPrima joins the Phoenix in 2024 as a midfielder. She played in 21 matches across two seasons with the Terrapins, which included six starts as a freshman.
- Elon also welcomes five freshmen to the team this season – Abby Brinker, Miranda Dumornay, Emma Geha, Charlise Grimes and Lilly McFadden. Brinker tallied her first career goal against VMI, while McFadden delivered her first career assist in that match.
New Look CAA Soccer
- Starting in 2025, the CAA will feature two divisions for women’s soccer – a North and South Division.
- Elon is part of the South Division alongside Campbell, College of Charleston, Hampton, UNCW and William & Mary.
- The Phoenix will face all five South Division teams in the regular season along with four teams from the North Division.
- At the end of the regular season, the top three teams from each division will qualify for the CAA Championship. The top seed in each division will receive a bye to the semifinals while the Nos. 2 and 3 seeds in both the North and South will clash in the quarterfinals.
Home Sweet Home
- Since the start of last season, Elon is 7-1-1 at Rudd Field, which includes this year’s home opener against VMI.
- In the last nine home matches, Elon has outscored its opponents, 18-3.
- Last season, the Phoenix did not concede a goal at Rudd until its sixth home game against William & Mary on Oct. 10. Elon went just over 521 minutes before allowing its first goal at home on the season to the Tribe.
- The six home triumphs last season matched the most by Elon under Payne. The Phoenix also won six games at Rudd in 2019 and 2022.
Scouting Gardner-Webb
- The Runnin’ Bulldogs are 0-1-1 this season, with a loss to Stetson and a 1-1 draw at Queens. Sunday will conclude a season-opening three-match road trip for Gardner-Webb.
- Olivia Tribolet scored Gardner-Webb’s first goal of the season against the Royals.
- Gardner-Webb had three players earn a spot on the 2025 Big South Top Returning Players to Watch list – Anya Tribune, Peyton Bryant and Camila Lezcano. Tribune tied for the team lead in goals last season (3), while Bryant and Lezcano both logged over 1,500 minutes.
- The Runnin’ Bulldogs were picked to finish ninth in the Big South preseason poll.
- Erik Solberg is in his second season as the head coach at Gardner-Webb after a successful stint at Arkansas Pine-Bluff.
Stay Posted
For further coverage of Elon women’s soccer, follow the Phoenix on X (@ElonWSoccer), Instagram (elonwsoccer) and Facebook (Elon Women’s Soccer).
–ELON–
