ELON — A throw-in, flick and finish that defined a season. In the 72nd minute, junior winger
Jordin Wilson struck a low shot to the bottom-left corner off a combination from redshirt sophomore
Dominik Renz, lifting Elon men's soccer to a 1-0 win over William & Mary and the CAA South Division title Saturday night at Rudd Field.
The goal was Wilson's first as a Phoenix and capped an undefeated home campaign, marking Elon's 10th clean sheet of the season. Graduate goalkeeper Jackson Leavitt made five saves, anchoring a defense that went the entire regular season without conceding a goal at home.
"We've been working for a long time," Wilson said. "Making that run, using my powers and giving everything I got. Credit to them for giving me the ball. I took it down, control, finish. Luckily, it went in."
Graduate student defender August Guinle, who entered in the 70th minute and contributed to the game-winner, said the moment developed from instinct and trust.
"I saw [Renz] running hard, played the ball down the line, threw it as hard as I could," Guinle said. "And then Dom, great pass to Jordin; an absolute finish."
Elon outshot the Tribe, 12-8, and managed the match's tempo through its midfield pairings. The result pushed the Phoenix to 7-3-6 overall (4-1-3 CAA), clinching the No. 1 seed for the conference tournament from the South Division and a home semifinal on Sunday at Rudd.
"It means everything, honestly," Wilson said. "This group will die for these people. To win it for them is the greatest feeling."
The Phoenix's defensive identity again held firm. The back line of Majaliwa Msabaha, Magnus Jacobsen and Charlie Kitch protected the box on seven William & Mary corners, and Weston Jonke's midfield organization kept Elon compact in transition. The group has allowed just seven goals in 15 matches this season, ranking sixth nationally in goals-against average.
Guinle said that consistency comes from standards set early in the year.
"We all work for each other and we keep each other to a high standard," Guinle said. "We know we can keep clean sheets every single night. We play for each other."
Wilson led all players with five shots and two on target. His finish in the 72nd minute was the breakthrough the team had needed after a scoreless first half in which Elon managed three chances inside the box but couldn't convert.
"We realized the spot we were in," Wilson said. "We looked at each other in the locker room and said nil-nil is not enough. Somebody just needed one. I'm really happy to score it."
For Guinle, a graduate student who's seen Elon's rise firsthand, the moment was about reward and hope.
"It felt great," Guinle said. "This has been a long year, but we're not finished yet. We've got a whole tournament to go, and our main goal is winning that CAA tournament. We're not done yet."
Both veterans summed up the night and the season's identity in words that have become the team's motto.
"We're not finished yet." Wilson added with a smile, "Job's not done."
'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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