ELON — In a night framed as defense against attack, Elon made its identity stand out. Behind graduate student goalkeeper
Jackson Leavitt and freshman center back
Magnus Jacobsen, the Phoenix kept No. 10 UNCG off the board in a 0–0 draw Tuesday at Rudd Field.
The Spartans entered the match ranked top five nationally in scoring. By the final whistle, UNCG had 14 shots but just three on target, all saved by Leavitt. Jacobsen provided clearances and blocks that defined the 90 minutes. Together, they extended Elon's shutout run to seven in 10 games.
For Leavitt, the defining moment came in the first half on a deflected lob.
"It just kind of lobbed over my head. [I] got a little worried, especially because it was like a mud pit over there, but I ended up getting a pushover. That was the closest I got," Leavitt said.
UNCG's attackers pressed in the second half, but Leavitt smothered both chances, diving low to his right and holding strong near post. His goals against average and save percentage both rank top 20 nationally.
Jacobsen's impact showed in the second-half trenches with a towering header, two timely clearances and an 82nd-minute block on a dangerous counter.
"We knew he was strong and left-footed, so I stepped up and blocked the shot," Jacobsen said of that play. "Good preparation and good work. Everybody is running the extra meters for each other, and that's why we keep the clean sheets."
The Phoenix relied on its defensive spine throughout. Majaliwa Msabaha,
Connor Mucchetti,
Martin Kozak and Jacobsen all logged 90 minutes, keeping their shape against UNCG's side-to-side pressure. Elon's best offensive look came late when
Sumner Nenninger broke through in the 89th minute, forcing a full-stretch save.
But the night belonged to the back line.
"It's 100% the backline in front of me," Leavitt said. "I don't really see a ton of crazy shots. I have some of the strongest defenders in the CAA, maybe in the country. It's really comforting, honestly."
The result keeps Elon unbeaten at Rudd and pushes its overall record to 5-1-4. More importantly, it signaled Elon's legitimacy among the nation's best defenses.
"It says we're strong," Leavitt said. "We don't concede a lot of shots in general, let alone goals. I think it's something teams should be worried about for sure."
"The home field is always something special, and we take pride in defending our own field," Jacobsen added. "We'll see it throughout the season. Undefeated, we'd better keep it that way."
Elon will travel to Clemson for a Saturday night clash at 7 p.m.
'Rising Phoenix' is a student-led initiative to cover Elon Athletics. Through innovative content creation and storytelling, Elon University students will have the opportunity to highlight the moments, people and events that make an impact, leveraging the athletic department's various web and social media platforms for distribution. Follow Rising Phoenix on X (@EURisingPhoenix) and Instagram (@elonrisingphoenix). Interested in joining this initiative as a content creator (video, graphics, writing, storytelling, or more)? Contact Sydney Spencer at sspencer9@elon.edu.
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