WILMINGTON, N.C. – A pair of first-half goals from Phoenix newcomers proved pivotal for the Elon University men's soccer team in a 2-1 victory Saturday night against UNCW at UNCW Soccer Stadium.
Einar Ness and
Dominik Renz netted their first Elon tallies and the Phoenix (1-0-1) held on in the second half to pick up its first win of the campaign in its CAA opener against the Seahawks (0-2-1).
Jackson Leavitt earned the victory in goal, making six saves, three of which came in the second half.
Martin Kozak assisted on both Elon goals for the first points of his Phoenix career.
The Phoenix has now won its conference opener in back-to-back seasons.
How It Happened
- Elon created scoring chances early, with Kozak and Oscar Tonidandel putting shots on target in the first eight minutes of action.
- In the 16th minute, Joe Taylor sent a cross from the deep left corner into the box. Tonidandel lifted a shot that UNCW goalkeeper Trey Smiley batted away with one hand. However, the ball fell to the ground and was controlled by Kozak on the right side of the net, and he found Ness in front who converted into an open goal for Elon's first goal of the campaign.
- Leavitt made his first stop of the night in the 22nd minute and was forced to make another on a Jake Shannon effort in the 30th minute to keep the Seahawks off the scoresheet.
- After another Leavitt save in the 38th minute, Elon launched a counterattack. Kozak deployed a pirouette to spin away from a defender and find a sprinting Jahmir Flowers on the left wing. Flowers took the ball into the box and crossed it to Renz, who popped it up and over Smiley to double Elon's advantage entering the intermission.
- Leavitt made his best save of the night in the 61st minute to maintain Elon's clean sheet, denying UNCW's Osei Gyamfi front point-blank range in front of the net.
- UNCW finally broke through with a goal in the 71st minute to cut into Elon's advantage. Lucas Amare scored for the Seahawks with assists from Jack Clarkson and William Ampofo.
- The Seahawks continued their late push in the closing stages, forcing Leavitt to come up big again in the 84th minute on a shot from Gavin Carmichael.
- UNCW received a corner in the final minute of the contest, and after sending the ball into the box, Alex Hornada headed a ball wide left for what would be the final shot of the contest.
Notes & Numbers
- Ness scored his first goal with Elon after netting a goal in 2024 with South Carolina. Ness led the Phoenix with three shot attempts on the night, two of which were on target.
- Kozak notched his first points as a Phoenix with assists on both Elon goals. He also attempted three shots with two finding the target.
- Renz's tally was the first of his college career. The goal was his lone shot of the night in 13 minutes of action off the bench.
- Flowers registered his first career assist on Renz's goal, adding to his two career goals.
- UNCW outshot Elon, 16-12, but the Phoenix edged the Seahawks in shots on goal, 8-7. The Seahawks outshot Elon, 11-5, after halftime.
- The Seahawks attempted nine corners compared to just two for Elon.
- Tonidandel and Joe Taylor made their first starts of the season for Elon. Tonidandel put two shots on goal in 49 minutes while Taylor logged 41 minutes on the backline.
- Leavitt picked up his first complete victory in goal for the Phoenix after splitting time in Elon's win over Greensboro College in 2023. The graduate student made a career-high six saves, including three crucial stops in the second half.
- Carlos Levy, Majaliwa Msabaha, Connor Mucchetti and freshman Magnus Jacobsen all played the full 90 minutes for the Phoenix.
- With the win, the Phoenix improves to 8-6-3 all-time versus UNCW. It was Elon's first victory over the Seahawks in Wilmington since 2015.
- The Phoenix and Seahawks will meet again in the regular season at Rudd Field on Oct. 11.
Up Next
Elon returns to the road Tuesday to face Radford. The contest is scheduled for a 7 p.m. start.
Stay Posted
For further coverage of Elon men's soccer, follow the Phoenix on X (@ElonMSoccer), Instagram (elonmsoccer) and Facebook (Elon Men's Soccer).
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