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ELON – The reigning CAA Rookie of the Week, redshirt sophomore midfielder Dominik Renz, added to his tally on Saturday night, leading the Elon University men’s soccer team to  a 1-0 victory over USC Upstate.

For this 2025 squad, who have yet to be beaten this season, being on the same page is key to finding success. 

“Our team is a family; everyone fights for one another and even in hard times we stick together,” Renz said.

That chemistry was on display once again, as senior midfielder Colin Veltri connected with Renz on the game-winning goal for the second straight match.

“I would say his [Dom’s] runs have made it so much easier for me to find him and a lot of it is because he is getting in the correct spots,” Veltri said.

Halfway through the first half, Veltri broke free down the left flank, split through two defenders and squared a pass to Renz, who buried it in the back of the net for his team-leading third goal of the season.


 After scoring three goals in the last four games, Renz said he feels assured in his form.

“As a striker, every goal is important to go to the next step and you build confidence,” Renz said.

Individual performances may shine on the field, but both Renz and Veltri said it’s their bond off the field that makes all the difference.

“It’s amazing. I think everything just stems from off the field and in the locker room everyone’s talking to everyone,” Veltri said.

While the Phoenix is off to another strong start to the 2025 campaign, the team is focused on continuing this undefeated streak against Davidson on Tuesday at 7 p.m.

“We just got to keep going. Most important thing is getting rested and keep the momentum riding high,” Veltri said.

 

‘Rising Phoenix’ is a student-led initiative to cover Elon Athletics. Through innovative content creation and storytelling, Elon University students will have the opportunity to highlight the moments, people and events that make an impact, leveraging the athletic department’s various web and social media platforms for distribution. Follow Rising Phoenix on X (@EURisingPhoenix) and Instagram (@elonrisingphoenix). Interested in joining this initiative as a content creator (video, graphics, writing, storytelling, or more)? Contact Sydney Spencer at sspencer9@elon.edu.

–ELON–