The Elon University men’s soccer team beat University of South Carolina Upstate 1-0 to win their fourth game of the season. It is the second consecutive year the Phoenix have opened the season unbeaten through the first five games.
Elon was able to maintain control of a physical game that involved lots of aggressive play. Head coach Marc Reeves said that games like that are where the margins are very small, and was happy with how the team responded.
“You have to compete first,” Reeves said. “I thought we did a really good job of that. They’re a very strong team with some really good players and I thought we dealt with it all well.”
Elon started the game aggressive on offense. They had six shot attempts through the first 15 minutes, but failed to score first. The stretch included a 22 seconds where Elon missed three potential goals.
They finally managed to get on the board with 20 minutes left when redshirt sophomore midfielder Dominik Renz scored off a corner assist from senior forward Colin Veltri.
While Elon was on the attack offensively, defense was their biggest strength throughout the first half. USC Upstate wasn’t able to get many scoring opportunities, and their closest shot at a goal was saved by graduate goalkeeper Jackson Leavitt.
Leavitt said trust has been the most important ingredient of Elon’s defensive performance.
“We all know what we’re doing out there,” Leavitt said. “There’s not really a time where we panic and if one guy messes up, we have ten other guys looking out for him.”
USC Upstate increased their offensive attack in the second half in the hopes of coming back. Their best chance of tying the game occurred on a potential fast break goal. However, Leavitt altered the shot just enough to keep USC Upstate scoreless.
Leavitt said he anticipated the ball heading low to the ground and was glad to be in the right position.
“I knew it was probably going to be a crazy big shot so I set low assuming it was going to the ground and it did,” Leavitt said. “Thankfully I got just enough.”
Elon had a few chances of their own to increase the lead, but USC Upstate managed to counter the Phoenix with some impressive saves of their own to keep the score 1-0.
The second half additionally saw the intensity jump up a notch. Reeves said that while there were a few things he would’ve liked to see differently such as the team’s decision making on certain passes, he was pleased to see the team’s competitive demeanor stay intact.
“It is a little bit chaotic for certain to stay calm and keep competing,” Reeves said. “They did a really good job of that in the end.”
Elon would hold firm the rest of the way en route to the 1-0 victory. The win marked their third straight shutout which Reeves said he was very proud of.
“It’s a staple of our program to make sure we’re tough to break down,” Reeves said. “We concentrate on the defensive end for sure. If we’re going to be a great team, you can keep that against the competitive groups.”
The Phoenix will host its next game against Davidson College at 7 p.m. Sept. 16 at Rudd Field.