Elon men’s soccer’s 2-2 draw against the Longwood University Lancers was a dynamic, back-and-forth battle.
The match opened with an immediate scoring opportunity for the Phoenix. Senior forward Jordin Wilson rocketed past Longwood’s defense, finding space to take Elon’s first shot on goal.
Longwood’s goalie reached full extension to block Wilson’s strike, but the stalemate wouldn’t last for long.
Redshirt junior striker Dominik Renz, who’s scored four goals in the last two matches, broke free downfield in the eighth minute. Fellow redshirt junior midfielder Ben Madore delivered a perfect pass to Renz in stride. Renz fired to the left corner of the net, taking a 1-0 lead.
Elon continued to apply pressure in the opening minutes, including another close opportunity for Renz.
But by the middle of the first half, momentum started to shift.
After a failed Phoenix attack, Longwood’s Youssef Shafei raced upfield on a counterattack. He eventually worked his way to a one-on-one with Elon’s keeper, redshirt junior Drew Hartman, firing it past him to tie the match, 1-1.
Head coach Marc Reeves said Longwood’s counterattack was a pressure point all night.
“They've got some good footballers,” Reeves said. “They move the ball at pace. They're exceptional in the counter-attack situations.”
The Lancers’ speed was on full display as the first half continued.
After another Elon failed scoring opportunity, Longwood headed down the pitch with a chance to take the lead. Elon only had a few defenders in front of the goal.
Rowen Zalayet assisted in the reporting of this story.
That’s when Wilson sprinted the entire field to make a late tackle on the Lancers a few feet from the goal box, prying the ball free from the attack.
Wilson’s speed has been a highlight for the Phoenix. He was tracked at a 21.6 mph pace earlier this year.
“It was a high-level game,” Reeves said. “The energy of that game — the lights are on. Everyone's buzzing this time of year. It was a really, really good game of football.”
Wilson’s defensive play flipped the momentum.
In the 34th minute, a crosser landed on the head of Madore. He bounced it to Renz, who flicked it off his head to sophomore defender Magnus Jacobsen.
Jacobsen spiked it off his forehead over the goalie, cashing in on a triple-header goal to take a 2-1 lead.
“I see the ball go over my head, and I just want to keep it alive,” Jacobsen said, laughing about the ball hitting three heads. “And so I just take the chance, and I go for it.”
Elon took the lead into halftime, but Longwood responded quickly after the teams returned to the field. The Lancers capitalized on another counterattack — tipping a crosser right in front of Hartman to tie the game at 2-2.
Despite the goal, the Phoenix maintained its energy. Elon dominated possession in the second half.
The team had many opportunities to retake the lead, including corners in the 65th, 69th and 70th minutes. Multiple Elon attackers had near shots on goal.
Redshirt sophomore midfielder Oscar Tonidandel lined a clean look at the net off a ricochet from Longwood’s goalie. His shot had too much power, slicing left of the goal. He slammed his foot into the goalpost in frustration.
“We had some really great one-on-one opportunities that on another day, you maybe stretch the lead and now it's 4-2, and you're a little bit further ahead,” Reeves said. “I think we were a little unfortunate not to get the win.”
Elon’s greatest chance came in the 88th minute, when referees initially awarded the Phoenix a penalty kick. Seconds later, an assistant referee from the booth overturned the call.
Elon did not take that lightly.
Multiple players screamed at the refs. Renz yelled out after the match, covering his face with his jersey.
Reeves said he was frustrated by an assistant referee who was away from the foul overturning a call made by a referee right in the action.
“My view is that if the guy is in the middle for a reason, he's the referee, and so if he saw it well enough to call it, it shouldn't be overruled by someone who's not in the middle,” Reeves said.
The draw is Elon’s second in a row, and fourth on the season. The Phoenix remain unbeaten at home.
Elon next plays on Oct. 17 against the University of North Carolina, Wilmington for the team’s senior night at Rudd Field.