Elon University

Elon, NC 27244

North Carolina Southeast

Private Medium Developing team

I'm interested in this program!

Coaches

Email coach

Neil Payne

Neil Payne will be in his sixth season as Elon's head women's soccer coach in fall 2023. Payne was named the eighth head coach in Elon women's soccer program history on Feb. 24, 2018.

Last season, Payne guided the Phoenix to a 9-6-3 record and helped make Rudd Field one of the toughest places to play in the Carolinas. The Phoenix won four straight CAA games at home and finished with a 6-0-2 record against non-Power 5 opponents at Rudd. Under Payne, the Phoenix finished fourth in the conference with an opportunity to win the CAA regular season title with a game to play.

Payne guided the maroon and gold to a 9-6-2 record, including a pair of overtime victories against Northeastern (2-1) and a #23/25 Hofstra (2-1). For their performance during the regular season, Kayla Hodges, Carson Jones and Makenzie DePriest-Kessler were tabbed all-conference honorees. Hodges was a first-team selection, Jones was second team and DePriest-Kessler was third team.

During the historic spring 2021 season, Payne guided the Phoenix to its first-ever Colonial Athletic Association (CAA) Championship title and second appearance in the NCAA Division I Championship. Entering the CAA Championship as the No. 2 seed in the South Division with a 4-3 regular-season record, Elon first defeated the nationally-ranked top seed in the North Division, Hofstra, for the first time in program history (1-0). The maroon and gold then went on to outlast UNCW in the finals (1-0) to earn the championship crown. Over the course of the season, the Phoenix registered six shutouts, with four of them coming against conference opponents (Charleston, William & Mary, Hofstra and UNCW). Elon's backline also held both the Dukes and Cougars to no shots on goal. Four players earned all-conference honors for their performances in the regular season, Jones (second team), Hodges (second team), DePriest-Kessler (third team) and Katie Lowe (all-rookie team).

In his second season with the Phoenix, Payne led the team to a 12-6-2 overall record, including a 5-3-1 record in conference play. Under Payne's guidance, Elon saw a nine win improvement from the 2018 season. During the season, Elon defeated James Madison (3-2) for its first win over the Dukes in program history. The Phoenix's strong performance throughout the season led to a fifth place finish in the CAA regular season standings and the first berth to the CAA Tournament in program history. In postseason play, Elon earned its first win in the CAA Tournament in program history after taking down Northeastern (2-1) in the opening round. Payne also led the Phoenix to a season in which it made its most goals since 2013 (42), including 11 games with at least two goals. In 2019, Payne coached three All-CAA performers and placed 28 athletes on the CAA Commissioner's Academic Honor Roll. The Phoenix continued to excel in the classroom in Payne's second season as well, earning a program record GPA of 3.69 for the 2019-20 academic year.

During his first season at Elon in 2018, Payne coached two All-CAA players and led a Phoenix program that put together a 3.54 team grade point average in the fall semester. Additionally, the team made just its second global experience trip in program history during March of 2019 with a week-long trip to Costa Rica.

Since joining the Phoenix program, Payne has had players succeed both on the field and in the classroom. Nine players have earned All-CAA recognition, while 54 players have been placed on the CAA Commissioner's Academic Honor Roll since he began.

Neil arrived at Elon as a seasoned coach with over two decades of success at both the collegiate and club levels. Prior to Elon, Payne spent three seasons at Texas Tech as the associate head coach, playing an integral part in back-to-back NCAA bids, highlighted by a banner season that saw the Red Raiders win their first Big 12 Championship. Texas Tech earned top-25 rankings twice over the last three seasons and 10 players earned All-Big 12 distinction. Over three years, Texas Tech had 42 players earn Academic All-Big 12 honors, as well.

Prior to his tenure at Texas Tech, Payne spent 13 years as the Technical Director for Real Colorado, one of the premier girls youth soccer clubs in the country. During his tenure in Colorado, Payne helped produce hundreds of collegiate players. Under Payne's leadership, Real's impressive player development record also involved 38 players gaining U.S. Youth National Team experience including standout Mallory Pugh (U.S. Women's National Team).

In Payne's final nine years with Real Colorado, he won the United States Youth Soccer Association (USYSA) National Title and eight of his teams qualified for the national finals in the Elite Clubs National League (ECNL) and U.S. Soccer Academy League. The Real Colorado girls program earned three top 10 national rankings, including No. 5 in the ECNL in 2014. The club sent over 450 players to the college level during his tenure while winning 44 state cups and seven regional championships.

Prior to his time at Real Colorado, Payne also spent four seasons as an assistant coach at his alma mater, Coastal Carolina. The Chanticleers claimed back-to-back Big South regular season titles in his final two years thanks to a 23-9-2 record during that span.

Payne remains one of the top players in Coastal Carolina history (1992-95) as his 123 career points ranks third all-time in the school record book, while his 46 goals and 31 assists both stand at fourth. He made two NCAA appearances, was an All-American candidate and a two-time First Team South Region honoree. Payne was captain of the Chanticleers for three years of his tenure, earning Big South MVP in 1995 on their way to the conference title. He graduated from Coastal Carolina in 1996 with a degree in business management.

From 1996-98, Payne was a professional soccer player in Myrtle Beach, South Carolina, and captained the team to a league championship in 1997.

Payne holds a USSF A-Senior License.

Email coach

Olivia Mills

Olivia Mills will be entering her fifth season as an assistant coach with the Elon women's soccer coaching staff in fall 2023. She works primarily with the Phoenix goalkeeping and defensive units.

The 2023 season was a historic one for the record books for the goalkeeping unit under Mills. Goalkeeper McKenna Dalfonso, under the guidance of Mills, etched her name into the Elon record books, finishing with the all-time record for shutouts in a career. The 21 solo shutouts and 22.5 including combined shutouts were both Elon records that stood for more than 30 years. Dalfonso also finished the top-10 for games started, goals-allowed-average, saves, games played and goalkeeper minutes.

During the 2022 season, under Mills guidance, McKenna Dalfonso recorded seven shutouts and did not allow a CAA goal at Rudd Field. The Phoenix finished with a 9-6-3 record and a top-four seed at the CAA Tournament.

In the fall of 2021, Mills helped guide the maroon and gold to a 9-6-2 record, including a pair of overtime victories against Northeastern (2-1) and a #23/25 Hofstra (2-1). For their performance during the regular season, Kayla Hodges, Carson Jones and Makenzie DePriest-Kessler were tabbed all-conference honorees. Hodges was a first-team selection, Jones was second team and DePriest-Kessler was third team.

During the historic spring 2021 season, Mills assisted in leading the Phoenix to its first-ever Colonial Athletic Association (CAA) Championship title and second appearance in the NCAA Division I Championship. Entering the CAA Championship as the No. 2 seed in the South Division with a 4-3 regular-season record, Elon first defeated the nationally-ranked top seed in the North Division, Hofstra, for the first time in program history (1-0). The maroon and gold then went on to outlast UNCW in the finals (1-0) to earn the championship crown. Over the course of the season, the Phoenix registered six shutouts, with four of them coming against conference opponents (Charleston, William & Mary, Hofstra and UNCW). Elon's backline also held both the Dukes and Cougars to no shots on goal. Four players earned all-conference honors for their performances in the regular season, Carson Jones (second team), Kayla Hodges (second team), Makenzie DePriest-Kessler (third team) and Katie Lowe (all-rookie team).

In her first season with the Phoenix, Mills helped guide the program to a 12-6-2 overall record, including a 5-3-1 record in conference play. During the season, Elon defeated James Madison (3-2) for its first win over the Dukes in program history. The Phoenix's strong performance throughout the season led to a fifth place finish in the CAA regular season standing and the first berth to the CAA Tournament in program history. In postseason play, Elon earned its first win in the CAA Tournament in program history after taking down Northeastern (2-1) in the opening round. Mills helped lead the Phoenix's goalkeepers to a season in which they made 75 total saves, including seven games with at least five saves. Under Mills guidance, Elon's goalkeepers earned four shutout victories over Canisius, High Point, UNC Asheville and Hampton respectively. The Phoenix also excelled in the classroom in Mills's first season, earning a program record cumulative GPA of 3.69 for the 2019-20 academic year.

Prior to her time at Elon, Mills was an assistant coach for two seasons with the Campbell women’s soccer program. Mills was involved in all areas of recruiting, field instruction and administrative tasks, as well as working specifically with the goalkeepers and CU’s sport science initiatives.

Mills helped train the Camels' goalkeeping unit over two seasons in 2017 and 2018. Under her direction in 2017, the goalkeepers on conceded a combined 18 goals, the fewest in program history since 1995. Campbell's goalkeepers Erin Scott and Natalya Marcove posted a combined goals-against-average of 0.93, which finished the season ranked second in the Big South. Scott developed into one of the conference's best keepers under the direction of Mills. She allowed just 17 goals in 1495 minutes between the sticks for a GAA of 1.02, the fourth-best in program history. Scott notched six solo shutouts on the season, which also ranks fourth in Campbell women's soccer history. Additionally, Mills played a key role in the Camels' strength and conditioning, leading warmups at practices and at away matches.

Before joining the Campbell coaching staff, Mills served as an assistant coach at Troy University for one season in 2016. Under her guidance, the Troy goalkeepers only allowed 22 goals on the season, posting a 1.05 GAA. Mikki Lewis had a stellar 2016 season, posting seven shutouts, a 1.08 GAA, which is the fourth-best in program history, and notching 65 saves. In addition, Mills developed and facilitated the 13-week offseason strength program, mobility and muscular regeneration recovery sessions and weekly on-field lifting sessions.

Mills began her coaching career in 2015 at Stetson, where she served as an assistant coach. She worked with the Hatters’ goalkeepers, as well as working closely with the staff to design and facilitate all aspects of team training. Under her tutelage, the goalkeepers posted a 1.99 GAA and notched 92 saves. Mills also helped to develop physiological initiatives for the program, including heart rate monitor application and data analysis, nutrition oversight and facilitation of strength and conditioning and recovery sessions.Prior to arriving in DeLand, Fla., Mills spent the summer of 2015 as a strength and conditioning intern at Colorado State, where she developed and executed the summer strength and conditioning program for the Rams football program.

She graduated from Valdosta State in 2015 with a degree in Exercise Physiology. Mills spent four seasons as a team-captain in goal with the Blazers, and helped to lead VSU to the 2014 Gulf South Conference championship and a No. 23 overall ranking, as well as three consecutive NCAA Division II Tournament appearances from 2012-14. She earned all-conference honors on three occasions, all-region honors following her senior season, and was named to the Gulf South’s all-academic team in 2012, 2014 and 2015.

Mills has applied her exercise science degree to good use since graduating from VSU, earning multiple certifications. Mills has earned her US Soccer Federation C License, as well as the USA Weightlifting Certification, and is an American College of Sports Medicine Certified Exercise Physiologist.

Email coach

Sean Sandoval

Sandoval enters his first season with the Phoenix in the fall of 2023. Sandoval joins the Elon women's soccer program following a successful stint as youth coach at Real Colorado.

The Aurora, Colo. native spent four years at Georgia Southern where he made 70 career starts for the Eagles over four seasons. Played club soccer for Real Colorado and won the 2005 Region Championship with the club.

Email coach

Marc Reeves

Marc Reeves was named head coach of the Elon University men's soccer program on February 22, 2017.

"Marc Reeves has experienced a tremendous amount of success at every level of his coaching career and we are thrilled to welcome him to the Elon family," said Elon Director of Athletics Dave Blank. "Marc possesses a strong commitment to the full experience of the student-athlete and has demonstrated that he knows what it takes to achieve success at the highest level. We are excited about his enthusiasm and confident he is the right coach to continue the upward trajectory of the Elon men's soccer program moving forward."

“I am truly thankful to Dave Blank, President Lambert and the search committee for the opportunity to lead Elon men’s soccer,” Reeves said. “I have great respect for the program’s previous coaches, especially most recently Chris Little and Darren Powell. Both are incredibly high caliber coaches of great character and they have left a very strong program in place that we will look to build on for the future. My family and I are eager to join the Elon University and become a part of its exceptional community.”

The 2020-21 season marked the fourth for Reeves at the helm of the Elon program. He led the team to a 3-5 mark, including a 3-1 tally in matches played at Rudd field. Reeves guided the program to victories in each of its final two contests to end the season, earning a 1-0 result against Charleston and a 2-1 final against William & Mary in the season finale. Following the season, the Phoenix had three student-athletes earn all-confernece postseason honors and 25 student-athletes earn a spot on the CAA Commissioners Honor Roll, while Sam Bacon was named the recipient of the CAA's Leadership and Sport Excellence Award. Off the field, the Phoenix finished the spring semester with a 3.464 team GPA, while placing 10 student-athletes on the Dean's List and eight student-athletes on the President's List.

In Reeves' second season at Elon, he helped the Phoenix to a pair of top-25 victories over No. 20 FIU and also at No. 25 and CAA champion James Madison. Elon would have three players earn All-CAA honors in 2018 in Luke Matthews (first team), Iñigo Bronte (second team) and Jack Willbye (third team).

Reeves led the Phoenix to a 7-5-6 mark in his first season in 2017 and a 3-2-3 ledger during CAA play. Elon was one of the stout defensive teams in both the CAA and in the country under his watch as the Phoenix set new single-season school records in fewest goals allowed (11), GAA (0.57) while also tying its single-season mark with 10 shutouts. Five players also garnered All-CAA accolades during the year with Matthew Jegier also adding a CoSIDA Academic All-District 3 first team honor for the second time.

In seven years at Radford, Reeves led the Highlanders to an overall record of 75-43-20 (.616) including a 42-15-6 (.682) mark against conference opponents. He led RU to back-to-back appearances in the NCAA Tournament in both 2015 and 2016 and three straight Big South Conference regular season titles. Reeves helped 41 players achieve All-Big South laurels and was honored with Big South Coach of the Year accolades in both 2014 and 2016. Reeves' players also performed in the classroom during his tenure at Radford, as six earned Academic All-Big South honors.

In 2016, Reeves led the Highlanders to a 14-4-2 overall record, including a 7-1-0 mark against league foes. The Highlanders captured the Big South Tournament title with a 1-0 shutout against Longwood, marking the team's 10th clean sheet of the season. Radford earned an NCAA Tournament bid for the fourth time in program history, as eight players were named to the All-Big South team. For his efforts, Reeves was named Big South Coach of the Year for the second time in his career.

In 2015, Reeves' Radford squad ended the year as one of the top offensive threats in the country. Radford led the Big South with 44 goals, ranking in the top-20 nationally. Radford's defense was just as impressive, only allowing four goals in Big South play – the lowest recorded in the league – and ending the year with nine clean sheets.

Reeves earned 2014 Big South Coach of the Year honors, as the Highlanders posted a 12-5-3 overall record and an 8-1-0 mark in conference play. It was the fourth straight winning season for the Highlanders, which has not been done in nearly 20 years.

Reeves came to Radford after 11 seasons at St. John's, including the last four (2006-09) as the program's associate head coach.

The Gillingham Dorset, England, native was part of an extraordinary run of success at St. John's. The Red Storm reached the NCAA Tournament Round of 16 in eight of his ten seasons, including a national championship appearance in 2003, three trips to the national semifinals (2001, 2003, 2008), and four national quarterfinal appearances (2001, 2003, 2004, 2008).

A midfielder, Reeves played for St. John's for one season in 1998. He was part of the team that won the Big East Championship and advanced to the NCAA Elite Eight. Reeves went on to earn a masters degree in secondary education and began his coaching career in 1999. Prior to arriving at St. John's, Reeves graduated from Brunel University (Middlesex, England) in 1997 with an upper second degree in sports science.

Reeves has a USSF A National License and a NSCAA Advanced National Diploma.

Reeves and his wife Susanne have three children: Robert, Olivia and Jackson.

Email coach

Tony Falvino

Tony Falvino joined the Elon men's soccer coaching staff as the role of associate head coach in February of 2023.

Falvino joins the Phoenix coaching staff after spending the past two seasons as an assistant coach at Mercer. During his time with the Bears, Falvino helped the program to a Southern Conference Tournament title and an NCAA Tournament appearance.

Prior to his time at Mercer, Falvino served as the head coach at his alma mater at Greensboro College for six seasons. Under his guidance, the Pride compiled an overall record of 75-29-4 and a conference record of 49-10-3. He advanced to the conference semifinals or finals each season. He claimed two USA South Regular Season Titles (2015 and 2018) and was named the USA South Coach of the Year in 2015.

During his time at Greensboro College, Falvino coached 28 USA South All-Conference Selections, six USA South All-Tournament Selections, two USA South Rookie of the Year selections, two USA South Player of the Year selections, one All-Region and one All-American.

Before taking over the head coaching duties at Greensboro College, Falvino was an assistant coach at Davidson College since the 2012 season. He has also worked at Francis Marion, Wingate and High Point.

A standout player during his four years as a member of the Pride men's soccer team, Falvino earned All-Region honors while being named the USA South Athletic Conference Rookie of The Year in 2002 and the Conference Player of The Year in 2005. Falvino was also named a member of the USA South Athletic Conference Men's Soccer 50th Anniversary Team in 2013.

Falvino graduated from Greensboro College in 2006 with a bachelor's degree in exercise and sports studies. He later received his master's degree in sports administration from Wingate University in 2010.

Email coach

Brian White

Brian White begins his first season as a member of the Elon University men's soccer coaching staff after joining the Phoenix in August of 2021.

White arrives to Elon after spending this past season at UNCG, where he served as a volunteer assistant coach for the 2020 Southern Conference champion Spartans. Prior to coaching at UNCG, White spent time as an assistant at Greensboro College from 2016-2019 where he helped the Pride to a 54-21-3 record over that span and four consecutive USA South Atlantic Conference Championship semifinal appearances.

Before joining the Pride staff, White spent the 2015 season as a volunteer assistant at High Point, where he coached seven players that went on to sign professional domestic league contracts, including 2020 second round New England Revolution draft pick Keegan Meyer.

A graduate of Roanoke College (2014) and Liberty University (2018), White has extensive experience coaching among the youth ranks in the Triad. He spent a year as an Assistant Director of Coaching for NC Fusion's U11-U14 programs and another as an assistant director for Piedmont Triad FC's U14 and U15 boys. White also spent a season as an assistant coach with the now USL League 2 side Carolina Dynamo.

White started his coaching career at Roanoke College as a volunteer assistant coach, after earning three All-ODAC conference honors during his playing career as a Maroon.