The Phoenix went goalless in their quest to upset the defending national champion Tar Heels, dropping the game 4-0. The University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill (7-3), ranked No. 17 in the nation coming into tonight’s game, recently dropped a 1-0 contest to ACC rival Duke University before making their debut at Rhodes Stadium in front of 1,141 fans, the largest Elon soccer crowd ever. Tonight marked the first non-football intercollegiate game held at Rhodes, and the first soccer game at night.

The win increased UNC’s record against Elon all-time to 9-0-0.

"The field is perfect, the atmosphere was great," said UNC head coach Elmar Bolowich. "I wish the Final Four would be held here, that would be perfect. Other coaches would be chomping at the bit if they got to see this place."

Head coach Mike Reilly said that the game at Rhodes was beneficial to the program. He said he hopes the Phoenix can play in the stadium again.

Early on, the Heels utilized a steady combination of crisp passing, physical play and team speed to put constant pressure on the Phoenix. UNC held the ball in Elon’s zone for virtually the entire half. Tar Heel forward Marcus Storey, considered to be one of the fastest players in the nation and last year’s ACC Freshman of the Year, was one of many Tar Heel offensive threats creating frequent first-half havoc.

Junior defender Jared Rudolph keeps UNC player Marcus Storey on his toes as the Phoenix struggle to defend the goal. Tim Rosner/Photography Editor

"They’re extremely talented and extremely good athletes," Reilly said. "Our possession got us in trouble today."

Despite the Tar Heel attack, Elon’s defensive unit continued a bend but do not break effort. The Phoenix (3-7-1) played with seven defenders back, mimicking a similar defensive strategy used by Davidson University in their win over the Tar Heels Sept. 7. But the straw came in the 29th minute, when UNC scored off a Mike Gell right-footer to the far post, putting the Heels up 1-0.

UNC struck for second time ten minutes later as a result of a corner kick. Defender David Stokes headed in the goal to give the Heels a 2-0 halftime lead.

Elon opened the second half with a sustained offensive effort, giving Tar Heel goalie Ford Williams his first real action of the night. The Phoenix tightened up their neutral field game, preventing UNC from penetrating deep into Elon territory.

Elon received its best scoring opportunity at the 27-minute, when senior midfielder Stephen Hocking sent a cross barely ahead of freshman forward Nick Dabbo in front of an empty net. It was the only offense they mustered on the evening, though.

UNC added on two goals from Storey in the last five minutes of the game.

Despite the loss, Reilly was pleased with performance. "I’m proud," Reilly said. "If you saw our guys, they left every bit on the field. They showed a lot of courage."

Fans turned out for this high-profiled match up against defending national champions. Among the supporters were students, faculty and staff and local soccer fans.l. Tim Rosner/Photography Editor

Freshman forward Tim Sullivan was also happy with tonight’s match. "I believe it could’ve been our game," Sullivan said. "[If we had] a ball this way, a ball that way … Playing against high caliber players makes you a better player."

The Phoenix will remember this as a two-goal loss, senior midfielder Chad Heinicke said. The added pressure Elon put on UNC in the second half led to the goals at the end of the game, Heinicke added.

Last week, the Elon men’s soccer team could not provide No. 23 Coastal Carolina University its first loss, dropping the match 4-2 Sept. 28. Coastal Carolina upped its record to 8-0-1.

The Chanticleers Joseph Ngwenya took over the game in the second half. Only seven minutes into the half, Ngwenya tied the score at two off a pass from Thomas Rutter. Ngwenya’s night, however, was far from complete.

Ngwenya scored another goal 20 minutes later to give the Chanticleers a 3-2 advantage. Then, in the 76th minute, Ngwenya buried another marker, completing the hat trick. The Chanticleers took a 4-2 lead on Ngwenya’s third goal of the game, a lead they did not relinquish.

Sept. 25, Liberty University shut out the Phoenix 2-0, both goals coming from Brentley Kellum. Liberty improved its record to 6-1-1 with the win.