ELON – The Elon men's soccer team (8-2-2, 2-1-2 CAA) looks to strengthen its postseason position Friday when it visits College of Charleston (7-2-2, 2-2-1 CAA) for a CAA South matchup, the teams' second meeting this season. The contest was originally scheduled for Saturday but has been moved up to Friday due to potential inclement weather.
 
The Phoenix then returns home Oct. 13 to kick off a closing four-match homestand against Longwood (6-5-0) at Rudd Field.
 
Elon at College of Charleston Briefing
Match Details: Oct. 9 | Charleston, S.C. | Ralph Lundy Field at Patriots Point | 6 p.m.
Watch: FloCollege
Live Stats: StatBroadcast
Admission: Free
Elon Links: News | Roster | Schedule | Stats
Charleston Links: News | Roster | Schedule | Stats
 
Elon vs. Longwood Briefing
Match Details: Oct. 13 | Elon, N.C. | Rudd Field | 7 p.m.
Watch: FloCollege
Live Stats: StatBroadcast
Admission: Free
Elon Links: News | Roster | Schedule | Stats | Game Program
Longwood Links: News | Roster | Schedule | Stats
 
Inside The Matchups

• Elon and Charleston will meet for the 30th time on Friday.
• The Phoenix holds a 13-12-4 advantage in the head-to-head series and is 8-1-4 in their last 13 meetings.
• Earlier this season, the Phoenix and Cougars played to a 1-1 tie at Rudd Field. Charleston scored in the first half to take a 1-0 lead, but Dominik Renz netted a second-half equalizer for Elon. 
• Elon is 6-7-2 all-time against the Cougars at Patriots Point but is unbeaten in its last four trips there. The teams played to a scoreless draw in Charleston last season.
• The Phoenix is 2-1-1 in its series against Longwood. The Lancers defeated the Phoenix last season in Farmville.
• This will be Elon's first time hosting Longwood at Rudd.

 
Back-To-Back

• Joe Taylor repeated as CAA Defensive Player of the Week on Monday, becoming the first player in the conference to earn the honor twice this season.
• Taylor scored his second game-winning goal in as many weeks on Oct. 3 to help lift the Phoenix past William & Mary in a 3-1 victory.
• Taylor was previously named CAA Defensive Player of the Week on Sept. 28 after scoring the game winner for the Phoenix against Duke. Taylor also went the full 90 minutes on Elon's back line that shut out the Blue Devils.
• Taylor was named to the TopDrawer Soccer Team of the Week on Sept. 29. He became first Phoenix to earn that recognition since Martin Kozak on Nov. 11, 2025.

 
Historic Night At Rudd

• Elon made several entries in its record book Tuesday night in an 8-0 victory over Guilford College at Rudd Field.
• Six different Phoenix netted a goal in the contest, matching the most goal scorers for Elon in its Division I history. Elon set that record last season in the CAA Tournament semifinals against Campbell.
• The Phoenix finished the match with 12 assists to set a program record for assists in a match as a team. Elon's previous record was nine helpers against High Point on Oct. 13, 1995.
• Elon also set a program record for points in a match with 28, besting the previous record mark of 23 from that 1995 High Point contest.
• Elon's eight goals were the most in a match for the Phoenix since an 8-1 victory over Rutgers on Sept. 2, 2018.
• The eight-goal margin of victory was Elon's largest as a Division I program. It was Elon's largest winning margin since defeating Mars Hill 8-0 on Sept. 9, 1985.
• Renz became the first Phoenix to net a hat trick since Scott Vatne on Oct. 26, 2024 against Northeastern. Renz also had an assist for the first Elon seven-point outing since Vatne in that 2024 match against the Huskies.
• Ben Madore tied Martin Kozak's program record for assists by a Phoenix in a match, set in last year's CAA semifinal, with four helpers against the Quakers. Madore also netted his first Elon goal for a six-point night.
• This was the first time in Elon's Division I era that multiple players accrued six or more points in the same match.
• Robbie Reeves and JP Quigley both scored their first Elon goals in the win. Reeves added a pair of assists for a four-point night, the most points by a Phoenix freshman since Burl Shepherd netted a brace against UNCG on Sept. 25, 2019.
• Alex Wharton and Jordin Wilson also scored goals for the Phoenix against Guilford, both finishing with three points. Graham Jones, Daire McCarthy and Oscar Tonidandel all added assists to make it nine different Phoenix on the scoresheet.
• Elon attempted 35 shots in the match, the most by the Phoenix since taking 35 against Greensboro College on Oct. 25, 2023.

 
Elon Storylines

• Down Goes Duke: Elon earned its first ever road win against Duke on Sept. 25 downing the Blue Devils in Durham, 1-0. Taylor scored the lone goal of the match.
• CAA Praise: Elon was tabbed to finish first in the CAA South Division preseason poll. The Phoenix also had four preseason All-CAA honorees – Martin Kozak, Magnus Jacobsen, Weston Jonke and Dominik Renz. Additionally, Ben Madore was named a preseason All-CAA honorable mention. 
• Winning Streak: The Phoenix has won five straight contests, which includes four nonconference victories and a CAA South road win against William & Mary. Elon has now manufactured a winning streak of five or more matches in three straight seasons.   
• Dom-inating: With his hat trick Tuesday against Guilford, Renz vaulted into the conference lead for both goals (7) and points (17). The reigning CAA Rookie of the Year has points in five of Elon's last seven outings and has scored a goal in two of the last three CAA matches.
• Oscar-Worthy Performance: Tonidandel has racked up eight points in Elon's last seven matches. The midfielder is second to only Renz on the Phoenix with 11 points and is tied for the CAA lead with seven assists. Tonidandel also has a pair of goals this season, with both coming from the penalty circle.
• Give Him His Flowers: Jahmir Flowers has already set a career high in goals with four in his nine appearances this season. The senior is third on the Phoenix with nine points, another career best. 
• Goalie Rotation: Elon has rotated goalies in the first 12 matches of the season. Drew Hartman has started eight times, including all four of Elon's CAA contests. Mikolaj Lenarcik has made four starts, posting clean sheets in each of his two home nods. Lenarcik became the first Phoenix goalkeeper since 2015 to register an assist in Elon's victory over Radford on Sept. 15
• Nonconference Success: Elon is 6-1-0 this season against nonconference opponents and has won five straight nonconference fixtures against Radford, Davidson, Duke, USC Upstate and Guilford College.
• Iron Man Streak: Jacobsen played the first 1,035 minutes of the season for the Phoenix before finally subbing off for the first time Tuesday night against Guilford. The sophomore defender has a goal and an assist on the campaign, with the goal coming earlier this season in a CAA match against William & Mary.  
• Offensive Production: Elon has scored multiple goals in eight of its 12 matches this season. The Phoenix's 31 goals are 10 more than the next best CAA team. The 31 goals have come from 15 different scorers, with eight different Phoenix netting multiple goals. Elon leads the CAA with a plus-20 goal differential on the season.
• Six-Seven: Elon's Nos. 6 and 7 are both having career best scoring seasons, as both Jonke and Wilson have seven points on the campaign. Wilson has scored a goal in consecutive matches while Jonke has a pair of goals to go along with a trio of assists.
• Captain Martin: Kozak has six points in nine appearances this season. The reigning CAA Tournament Most Outstanding Player has two goals and a pair of assists on the campaign, including a penalty kick strike in Elon's CAA South road win at William & Mary last weekend. He was named to the Hermann Trophy Preseason Watch List in August.
• Dazza Delivering: McCarthy has assisted in three straight matches, including in Elon's conference victory against William & Mary. The midfielder also has points in four of five contests after scoring his first Phoenix goal Sept. 22 at Davidson. Prior to Tuesday against Guilford, McCarthy had logged the full 90 minutes in seven straight outings.
• Home Sweet Home: Elon remains unbeaten at Rudd Field this season with a 4-0-2 record. The Phoenix has won or tied its last 16 home matches, a streak that began with last season's home opener.
• CAA South Status: Elon and College of Charleston will clash Friday in another crucial CAA South Division tussle. The Phoenix currently holds the No. 2 seed in the South but is just one point ahead of Charleston in third place, who could vault ahead of Elon with a victory.  

 
Reigning Champs

• Elon earned its first CAA Tournament crown last fall, winning the title on its home field.
• The Phoenix finished atop the CAA South Division in the regular season to receive a bye into the semifinal round of the conference tournament.
• In its semifinal match against Campbell, the Phoenix exploded for six goals in a 6-4 victory, the most goals for Elon in a match since 2018. Six different Phoenix converted a goal in the match.
• Elon netted three more goals in the championship match against Stony Brook at Rudd, blanking the Seawolves 3-0 to secure the title and an automatic berth in the NCAA Tournament.
• Kozak paced the Phoenix with eight points in the CAA Tournament, netting two goals and adding four assists to earn Most Outstanding Player honors.
• The Phoenix made its sixth appearance in the NCAA Tournament, going out to UNCG in penalty kicks after the teams played to a scoreless draw in Greensboro.

 
Scouting College of Charleston

• The Cougars enter Friday's match with a 7-2-2 record on the season and are tied for third with William & Mary in the CAA South with seven points.
• Charleston is 2-2-1 in conference play with both its wins coming against Campbell.
• On Sept. 22, the Cougars upset No. 1 ranked South Carolina on the road for their first ever victory over a top-ranked team. Stian Bendvold netted both goals in a 2-1 win, including the game winner in the 85th minute.
• Charleston is coming off a 2-1 home win against Furman, a preseason top five team, Tuesday night at Patriots Point.
• Matt Lenert leads the Cougars in both goals (6) and points (15) and is second to only Renz in the CAA in both categories. Lenert has not played in a game since the South Carolina victory.
• Bendvold is not far behind Lenert, ranking No. 4 in the CAA with five goals and No. 5 with 13 points.
• Bemanzi Alibaruho took home CAA Rookie of the Week on Monday after scoring the game-winning goal over the weekend for Charleston in a road win at Campbell. He is tied for fourth on the Cougars with five points, trailing just Lenert, Bendvold and Henrik Boer.
• Marten Brink has played all 990 minutes this season in Charleston's goal, making 25 saves with a 0.641 save percentage.
• The Cougars are led by seventh-year head coach Keith Wiggans.

 
Scouting Longwood

• The Lancers are 6-5-0 on the season and will host Gardner-Webb on Saturday before traveling to Rudd.
• Longwood started the season 5-0-0, which included a 6-5 season-opening road win at William & Mary. The Lancers also took down Campbell in Buies Creek during their unblemished start.
• The Lancers fell 3-1 at Virginia Tech in their most recent outing Tuesday night.
• Longwood is 1-2 in Big South play, with the win coming against USC Upstate. The Lancers are 3-4 on the road this season.
• Brando Bedolla leads the Lancers with 19 points on the season, the second most among Big South scorers. His nine assists are the most in the Big South and his five goals are the fifth most.
• Levon Saribekyan and Joshwa Campbell are tied with Bedolla for a team-best five goals. Both Saribekyan (12) and Campbell (11) have double-digit points on the campaign.
• Nicolas Pucci is Longwood's starting goalkeeper, making 38 saves with a 0.644 save percentage.
• Paul Gilbert is in his third season as Longwood's head coach.

 
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