By Kathan Gandhi | 9/21/26 8:56pm
Senior Jahmir Flowers celebrates his goal against Radford University with his teammates on Sept. 15. The goal was Flowers' fourth of the season.
Elon men's soccer coach Marc Reeves prefers not to dwell on the past. Even after a season that produced a Coastal Athletic Association regular-season title, a conference tournament championship and an NCAA Tournament appearance, the program's message is simple: last year is last year. "We don’t even talk about last year in any format other than we know what it takes to get back there, and we know it’s a game-by-game process," Reeves said.
That forward-looking approach, combined with a roster that returns much of its core and adds key transfers, has Elon ready for another strong season in 2026.
Last season's Phoenix team was built on a stingy defense, ranking among the nation's best in goals-against average. Reeves has no plans to change that identity, even as the team aims to increase its scoring output. "Every year your group can be slightly different, and the way we do it, we always want to play to the strengths of our players," Reeves said. "This year, we’re probably slightly more technical than we’ve been in a while, hopefully more of a threat on offense, but we certainly don’t want to go away from those pillars of our program."
That defensive identity also brings a goalkeeper competition. The Phoenix are replacing standout keeper Jackson Leavitt, with redshirt junior Drew Hartman and redshirt freshman Mikolaj Lenarcik competing for the starting spot. Reeves split the first two games between them, and the job is still open. "Both of them are really good goalkeepers," Reeves said. "I feel completely confident with either of them as our starting goalkeeper, and neither of them have separated themselves enough to say, ‘I’m the guy.’ So training is designed to give them opportunities to do that."
In front of the keepers, Elon returns several defensive pieces while integrating new faces. Sophomore transfer Tønnes Daland has taken over the left center-back role after arriving in the spring, and graduate students Ryan Manna and Carlos Levy add experience. Reeves said the goal is to keep the defensive foundation that carried Elon last season while allowing the team more attacking freedom.
If defense is the constant, the attack is where Reeves expects the biggest change. The Phoenix return a deep and versatile front line, led by redshirt junior forward Dominik Renz, who was named CAA Rookie of the Year last season. "Dom’s first year last year with our program was exceptional," Reeves said. "I don’t think people understand how pivotal he is to the way we play. He holds the ball up well, he presses well, he’s a threat behind — he’s just a really team-first, committed forward who’s also got real ability."
Source: www.elonnewsnetwork.com — Read the original article
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