ELON – The Elon men's soccer team (1-0) hits the road Monday for the first time this season with a test at Old Dominion (1-0) on deck. Kickoff is scheduled for 6 p.m.
Elon at Old Dominion Briefing
Match Details: Aug. 24 | Norfolk, Va. | ODU Soccer Stadium | 6 p.m.
Admission: Free
The Old Dominion Series
- Monday will be the ninth all-time meeting between Elon and Old Dominion. The Phoenix is 1-5-2 all-time against the Monarchs.
- The teams met last August at Rudd Field and battled to a scoreless draw.
- Elon's lone win against the Monarchs came in Norfolk in 2010, when the Phoenix came away with a 1-0 road win.
Preseason Praise
- Elon was picked first in the CAA South Division in the preseason poll, which was released last week. 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 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.
Opening Night Win
- The Phoenix netted three goals Thursday to win its season opener 3-0 against VMI at Rudd.
- Kozak and Jahmir Flowers each tallied a goal and an assist to lead Elon in scoring. Renz also scored a goal for the Phoenix.
- Oscar Tonidandel and freshman Henry Mertsch added helpers in the victory. It was the first point of Mertsch's Elon career.
- The three goals were the most by Elon in a season opener since the spring 2021 campaign, when the Phoenix defeated Shaw, 3-1.
- Elon dominated possession throughout the contest, outshooting the Keydets, 26-7.
- Preseason All-CAA selections Jacobsen and Jonke logged the full 90 minutes, as did newcomer Daire McCarthy.
- Drew Hartman got the nod in goal, stopping a pair of VMI shots. He was the first Elon goalie other than Jackson Leavitt to play regular season minutes for the Phoenix since 2024.
- Elon has now recorded clean sheets in three straight matches dating back to last season. The Phoenix has not conceded a goal in over 300 minutes of game action since last year's CAA Tournament semifinal.
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.
Storylines To Follow
- Lockdown Defense: Elon's defense picked up right where it left off last season Thursday in its season opener. The Phoenix recorded a clean sheet against the Keydets to begin its campaign after a 2025 season that featured a program-record 12 clean sheets.
- Debutants Start: Four Pheonix started in their Elon debuts Thursday against VMI – McCarthy, Caleb Frakes, Tønnes Daland and Graham Jones. McCarthy went the full 90 minutes with Daland playing 81 minutes on Elon's backline. Frakes (70 minutes) and Jones (50 minutes) each played more than a half.
- Give Him His Flowers: For the first time in his Elon career, Flowers notched both a goal and an assist Thursday in Elon's victory over VMI. It was the senior's first career three-point effort.
- Returning Production: Four of Elon's top five point scorers from last season are back in 2026. Kozak (18), Renz (12), 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, Tonidandel and Carlos Levy.
- On The Road Again: Despite conceding just six goals in road matches last season, the Phoenix went 2-3-4 away from Rudd in 2025. Elon won each of its first two road matches a season ago but went winless in its final seven.
Scouting Old Dominion
- The Monarchs are off to a 1-0 start in 2026 following a 3-1 road win over George Washington on Thursday.
- Old Dominion raced out to a 3-0 lead in the match thanks to a Lewis Rourke brace and a goal by Jake Lane. Alexander Aguilar started in net for the Monarchs, stopping one of George Washington's two attempts at goal.
- The Monarchs were tabbed to finish seventh in the Sun Belt preseason poll.
- Last season, Old Dominion went 5-5-8 with a 1-3-5 mark in conference play. The Monarchs pushed West Virginia, which advanced to the second round of last fall's NCAA Tournament, to penalty kicks in the Sun Belt Tournament but were eliminated in the shootout.
- Old Dominion is led by third year head coach Tennant McVea.
Stay Posted
For further coverage of Elon men's soccer, follow the Phoenix on X (@ElonMSoccer), Instagram (elonmsoccer) and Facebook (Elon Men's Soccer).
