Elon Athletics/Nicole Frechette

Men's Soccer 8/18/2026 11:00:00 AM Elon Athletics

Phoenix Kicks Off Season At Home

Elon Welcomes VMI For Season Opener

ELON – The Elon men's soccer team opens its 2026 season Thursday with a home match against VMI. The defending CAA champions return to Rudd Field for the first time since winning the conference tournament on their home pitch in November.

Elon vs. VMI Briefing

Match Details: Aug. 20 | Elon, N.C. | Rudd Field | 7 p.m.

Watch: FloCollege

Live Stats: StatBroadcast

Admission: Free

Elon Links: News | Roster | Schedule | Stats | Game Program

VMI Links: News | Roster | Schedule | Stats

The VMI Series

Thursday will be the third meeting between Elon and VMI and the first since 2000.
The head-to-head series is currently split, 1-1. The Phoenix won their first meeting in 1997 with the Keydets getting revenge in 2000 at Elon.

Preseason Praise

Elon was picked first in the CAA South Division in the preseason poll, which was released on Monday. The Phoenix received nine of 10 first-place votes to top the division for the second straight season. Five Phoenix also received Preseason All-CAA recognition. Magnus Jacobsen, Weston Jonke, Martin Kozak and Dominik Renz were all named to the preseason All-CAA Team, with Ben Madore chosen as an honorable mention.
Jacobsen made 17 appearances as a defender for the Phoenix in 2025, making 12 starts and logging 1,243 minutes on the back line. As a rookie last season, Jacobsen went the full distance on 11 occasions and played all 180 minutes in Elon's two CAA Tournament victories.
Jonke returns for his second season with the Phoenix after playing 1,584 minutes in 2025, the third most on the campaign by an Elon field player. The junior started all 19 matches in Elon's midfield a season ago, going the full 90 minutes seven times. He notched an assist in both of Elon's CAA Tournament triumphs.
Kozak is coming off a prolific season in which he netted All-CAA Third Team and CAA Tournament Most Outstanding Player honors. The senior forward led the Phoenix in goals (5), assists (8) and points (18) in 2025, with eight of those points coming during Elon's CAA Tournament title run. Kozak's eight assists were the most by any Elon player since 2006 and the second most among CAA scorers.
Renz became Elon's first ever CAA Rookie of the Year a season ago after a debut campaign featuring 12 points. The forward's four goals were all game-winning tallies, the second most game-winning goals in the conference last season. Renz earned a spot on the All-CAA Second Team, All-CAA Rookie Team and CAA All-Tournament Team in 2025.
Madore will debut for the Phoenix this fall after spending the last three years at Penn State. The midfielder made 31 appearances with the Nittany Lions over the last two seasons, making nine starts. Madore netted five goals to go along with an assist in 2025.
Additionally, Kozak was named to the Hermann Trophy preseason watch list earlier this month, becoming the first Phoenix since Scott Vatne in 2024 to earn that recognition.

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.
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.

Opening Night Notables

Home Sweet Home: The Phoenix enters 2026 on a 10-match unbeaten streak at Rudd Field after going 7-0-3 on its home pitch a season ago. Elon's last regular season loss at Rudd came in October 2024.
Lockdown Defense: Elon boasted the CAA's top scoring defense in 2025, conceding just 11 goals in 19 matches. The Phoenix also authored a program-record 12 clean sheets last season.
Goalkeeper Battle: After Jackson Leavitt played every minute in goal for the Phoenix last season, Elon will turn to a new goalkeeper in 2026. Whoever gets the nod in goal for the Phoenix on Thursday night will be making his first career start. Elon's goalkeeper room this season includes Drew Hartman, Mikolaj Lenarcik, Tristan D'Adamo and Marshall Martin.
Returning Production: Four of Elon's top five point scorers from last season are back in 2026. Kozak (18), Renz (12), Jahmir Flowers (5) and Jordin Wilson (5) all scored multiple goals a season ago. Additionally, the Phoenix returns six players that logged 1,000-plus minutes – Jacobsen, Jonke, Kozak, Renz, Carlos Levy and Oscar Tonidandel.
New Talent: Elon welcomes 11 new players this spring, including nine transfers and two freshmen, one of which is Robbie Reeves, son of Elon head coach Marc Reeves.

Scouting VMI

VMI is coming off a 3-12-3 campaign in 2025. The Keydets went 1-4 in SoCon play and lost to UNCG in the opening round of the conference tournament.
The Keydets were picked to finish sixth in the SoCon preseason poll.
VMI's top returning point scorers from last season are Jesse Lee and Jack Yough, both of whom tallied six points. Lee paced the Keydets a season ago with four helpers, while Lee tied for the team lead with three goals.
Nick Regan is in his fifth season as VMI's head coach. Last season, he guided the Keydets to their first conference victory since 2013, snapping an 87-match losing skid in conference matches.

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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Players Mentioned

#1 Jackson Leavitt: GK; 6' 0"; Graduate Student

#1 Drew Hartman: GK; 6' 2"; Redshirt Junior

#0 Marshall Martin: GK; 6' 6"; Redshirt Freshman

#4 Magnus Jacobsen: D; 6' 2"; Sophomore

#5 Carlos Levy: D; 6' 3"; Graduate Student

#6 Weston Jonke: MF; 5' 11"; Junior

#7 Jordin Wilson: F; 5' 11"; Senior

#9 Dominik Renz: F/MF; 6' 2"; Redshirt Junior

#10 Martin Kozak: F/MF; 5' 11"; Senior

#12 Oscar Tonidandel: MF; 5' 9"; Redshirt Sophomore

Players Mentioned

#1 Jackson Leavitt
: 6' 0"; Graduate Student
: GK

#1 Drew Hartman
: 6' 2"; Redshirt Junior
: GK

#0 Marshall Martin
: 6' 6"; Redshirt Freshman
: GK

#4 Magnus Jacobsen
: 6' 2"; Sophomore
: D

#5 Carlos Levy
: 6' 3"; Graduate Student
: D

#6 Weston Jonke
: 5' 11"; Junior
: MF

#7 Jordin Wilson
: 5' 11"; Senior
: F

#9 Dominik Renz
: 6' 2"; Redshirt Junior
: F/MF

#10 Martin Kozak
: 5' 11"; Senior
: F/MF

#12 Oscar Tonidandel
: 5' 9"; Redshirt Sophomore
: MF