Elon University Athletics

DURHAM – The Elon men's soccer team (5-2-2) took down Duke (4-6-0) on Friday night, topping the Blue Devils in a 1-0 victory at Koskinen Stadium.

Joe Taylor scored the game's only goal in the third minute, converting a free-kick opportunity on the first shot of the contest. The Phoenix then engineered a clean sheet to secure its third straight nonconference triumph.

The win was Elon's first against an ACC opponent since 2022 and first ACC road victory since 2015. The Phoenix is now 1-0-1 in the last two seasons against the Blue Devils after tying No. 7 Duke a season ago.
 
How It Happened

• Elon netted the night's opening goal on the first shot of the match. After Dominik Renz drew a foul from just outside the right corner of the 18-yard box, Taylor curled a shot from his left foot into the top right corner of the goal, beating Duke's goalkeeper.
• Hartman made his first save of the night in the 32nd minute, denying a header created off a Duke free kick.
• The Phoenix maintained its 1-0 advantage entering halftime.
• Jordin Wilson took the first shot by either team in the second half, a low attempt that was stopped by Duke's goalie.
• Taylor came close to scoring a second free-kick goal in the 60th minute, bending another long-range shot that was denied by Colin Gallagher in Duke's net.
• Hartman crept forward off the goal line in the 83rd minute to thwart a Duke scoring threat, sliding to pick off the ball before the Blue Devils could get a shot off.
• In the final minute, Hartman came up with his best stop of the night to preserve Elon's clean sheet, diving across the goal line to turn away a Duke blast from outside the box.  
• Elon successfully defended a pair of Duke corner kicks in the final minute of the contest to secure the road victory.

 

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Notable Numbers

• Taylor's goal was his first with the Phoenix in his 23rd appearance. It was his first time finding the scoresheet since tallying an assist last season at Radford.
• The goal was Elon's quickest this season and fastest since Sept. 7, 2024, when Scott Vatne scored 23 seconds in against Drexel.
• Elon outshot Duke on the night, 9-7. The Phoenix limited the Blue Devils to just three second-half shot attempts.
• Taylor and Caleb Frakes both attempted a game-high three shots.
• Five Phoenix field players played the entire 90 minutes – Taylor, Tønnes Daland, Magnus Jacobsen, Weston Jonke and Daire McCarthy.
• In total, 16 Phoenix field players saw action. Ben Madore made his first appearance since Sept. 5 at UNCW, logging 14 minutes in the second half.
• Hartman made three saves in goal for his third clean sheet of the campaign.
• Elon's shutout was its fourth of the campaign, with three of the clean sheets coming in the last five contests.
• The match featured 37 combined fouls, with Duke committing 21 of them. 
• This was Elon's third ever victory against Duke and the first since the Phoenix downed the Blue Devils at Rudd in 2019. The win was Elon's first against the Blue Devils at Koskinen Stadium.
• The win was Elon's first against an ACC opponent since defeating North Carolina at Rudd Field on Oct. 18, 2022. This was Elon's first time beating an ACC team on the road since a 2015 victory at Wake Forest.

 
Up Next
Elon returns home to Rudd Field for another nonconference matchup against USC Upstate on Sept. 29. The contest is slated 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).