ELON – The Elon men's soccer team (1-1) begins conference play Sunday against William & Mary (1-2) at Rudd Field. The match is the first of three straight CAA contests for the Phoenix.
Elon vs. William & Mary Briefing
Match Details: Aug. 30 | Elon, N.C. | Rudd Field | 2 p.m.
Admission: Free
The William & Mary Series
- Sunday will be the 18th all-time meeting between Elon and William & Mary.
- Elon is 6-7-4 against the Tribe but is unbeaten in the last six encounters between the teams.
- Last season, Elon went 1-0-1 against William & Mary. The teams played to a scoreless draw in Williamsburg in the first meeting before Elon won 1-0 in its regular season final behind a Jordin Wilson goal to clinch the CAA South Division title.
- Elon is 4-3-2 against William & Mary in home matches and has won three of the last four meetings between the teams at Rudd.
Elon Storylines
- Home Sweet Home: The Phoenix is currently on an 11-match unbeaten streak at Rudd Field after going 7-0-3 on its home pitch a season ago and opening its 2026 campaign with a 3-0 win over VMI on Aug. 20. Elon's last regular season loss at Rudd came in October 2024.
- Give Him His Flowers: Jahmir Flowers became the first Phoenix to score multiple goals this season with a header goal Monday night at Old Dominion. The senior leads the Phoenix with five points (2 goals, 1 assist) and has already matched his point total from last season.
- Offensive Onslaught: Elon has scored three goals in each of its first two matches this season. It is the first time the Phoenix has scored three or more goals in consecutive regular season contests since September 2024.
- Goalie Rotation: Elon has started different goalkeepers in its first two matches. Drew Hartman got the nod against VMI with Mikolaj Lenarcik starting against Old Dominion. It was the first career start for both goalies.
- Newcomers Scoring: Three players have recorded their first Elon points in the opening two matches of the season. Tønnes Daland paced the Phoenix with three points against Old Dominion, with Mohamed Kallon and Henry Mertch each tallying an assist in their Elon debuts.
- Sunday Doubleheader: Both Elon's men's and women's soccer teams will play at home Sunday. The doubleheader begins with the men's game against William & Mary at 2 p.m. before the women take on High Point at 7 p.m.
Preseason Praise
- Elon was picked first in the CAA South Division in the preseason poll. 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. The sophomore is the only Phoenix to play all 180 minutes this season.
- Jonke returns for his second season with the Phoenix after starting all 19 matches in Elon's midfield a season ago. The junior has played 170 of a possible 180 minutes through Elon's first two matches.
- 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 and has a goal already this season.
- Madore is in his debut season with 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.
- Kozak is coming off a prolific season in which he earned 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.
- 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. The senior is second on the Phoenix with four points (1 goal, 2 assists) on the campaign.
Last Time Out
- Elon came up short in an offensive shootout Monday night at Old Dominion, falling 5-3.
- The Phoenix took a 2-1 lead after allowing the opening goal, but the Monarchs stormed back, scoring three of the next four. Old Dominion led the entirety of the second half and held on for a two-goal win.
- Daland notched a goal and an assist for his first three Elon points. Wilson scored his first goal of the season on a feed from Martin Kozak, a goal that landed on SportsCenter's Top 10 Plays on Tuesday, with Flowers netting his second goal of the campaign.
- Lenarcik made his first career start in goal for the Phoenix, making four saves.
- The eight total goals were the most in an Elon regular season game since the Phoenix defeated Rutgers, 8-1, in 2018.
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.
Scouting William & Mary
- William & Mary enters Sunday's contest with a 1-2 record on the season. The Tribe has a win over Radford with losses to Longwood and George Mason.
- The Tribe has scored 10 goals in its first three contests, including five in its season-opening loss to the Lancers.
- Alex Garrison has scored twice to lead the Tribe in goals this season. Seven different players have scored for William & Mary.
- Gabe Ruitenberg's four points trail only Garrison (5) for the team lead. Ruitenberg has a team-best two assists.
- The Tribe has an even goal differential on the campaign, having conceded 10 goals to offset the 10 goals scored. Diego Garciarena has started all three matches in goal for the Tribe.
- William & Mary is led by head coach Chris Norris, who is in his 23rd season leading the program and 36th overall on the Tribe's coaching staff.
Stay Posted
For further coverage of Elon men's soccer, follow the Phoenix on X (@ElonMSoccer), Instagram (elonmsoccer) and Facebook (Elon Men's Soccer).
