ELON, N.C.— Two first half goals ended up being enough for No. 17 Elon to get past the William & Mary men's soccer team, 2-1 on Saturday evening in Elon, N.C.
 
After a sleepy start the game's first action came in the 9^th minute when Ryan Eapen charged out from his goalkeeper position to cut off an Elon through ball at the top of the box.
 
The first true shot of the game came in the 28^th minute off an Elon corner. The Phoenix was able to place a header on net but Eapen skied up to snag it.
 
Less than a minute later Elon had a free-kick in a dangerous area and was able to place it on-frame. Luckily for the Tribe, Aidan Morrison was in the right place at the right time and deflected the ball away, earning a team save for his efforts.
 
The No. 17 Phoenix eventually struck in the closing minutes of the half with a shot from 25 yards out in the 42^nd minute. The hosts would add another moments later and take their 2-0 lead to the half.
 
Coming out of halftime the Phoenix had a dangerous chance in the 48^th minute, but the shot went just high over the bar and the head of Eapen.
 
The Tribe would register their first shot of the evening a minute later via Tre Barrett. The freshman, coming off a two-goal performance against UNCW, would miss the target.
 
Eapen made his third save of the night for W&M in the 51^st minute, looking the shooter down and make a diving save to his right.
 
Morrison found himself in a dangerous position in the 55^th minute from just outside the penalty spot. The sophomore took a feed from Gabe Ruitenberg and ripped a shot, but it was blocked before reaching the target.
 
The Tribe kept pushing on the attack and was rewarded off a corner in the 61^st minute. Morrison collected a bouncing ball just outside of the 6-yard box and squeezed it past the keeper, making it 2-1.
 
The goal was the second of the season for Morrison, who became the fourth member of the team with multiple goals this year.
 
Less than 10 minutes later Sam Delgado came inches away from equalizing the match for the Green and Gold. Attacking from the left side, Delgado fired a shot from the left side of the box that the Phoenix keeper barely was able to get a fingertip on.
 
Delgado wasn't deterred however, having a grade-A chance from the middle of the box in the 81^st minute. His chance ended up being saved and led to a Tribe corner. Bryce Smith took a try at equalizing off the ensuing set piece, but had his shot find the same fate as Delgado's.
 
The Tribe racked up a handful of dangerous chances down the stretch, including two corners and a free kick, but the comeback effort fell short in what was a 2-1 final score.
 
The final shot tally favored the Phoenix 15-9, but the Tribe held a 9-7 advantage in the second half. Eapen made four saves on the evening for W&M.
 
Up Next
The Tribe is back in action next Saturday, hosting Monmouth at 6 p.m. The game will be broadcast on FloFC.