This past Wednesday, Brandeis defeated host Springfield College 1-0 in a match plagued by rain. With the win, the Judges, ranked seventh in New England, improved to 9-4-1 (1-1-1 UAA) while Springfield fell to 8-3-3.
Springfield appeared to take an early lead just 2:18 into the game when sophomore midfielder Drew Vanasse tapped in a long free kick from sophomore midfielder Ryan Malone. Both the head referee and linesman, however, decided to negate the goal after determining that Springfield was offsides.
Brandeis controlled the game statistically, owning a 13-5 advantage over Springfield in shots and a 3-0 advantage in shots on goal. The Judges also earned 11 corner kicks to Springfield’s three and Brandeis was called for only nine fouls compared to Springfield’s 19.
Despite all of these advantages, Brandeis was unable to capitalize on their opportunities in the first half. In the 84th minute of play, however, midfielder Sam Ocel ’13 dribbled down the right side of the field and crossed the ball to forward Lee Russo ’13, who was wide open. Russo then netted his team-leading sixth goal of the season to give the Judges a 1-0 lead.
Brandeis goalie Blake Minchoff ’13 earned his eighth shutout of the season without having to make a single save, thanks in large part to the spectacular defensive play of Ari Silver ’12, David McCoy ’12, Ben Applefield ’12 and Robbie Lynch ’12 while first-year goalie Brett Bascom made two saves against one goal allowed for Springfield.
Earlier in the week, the Brandeis men’s soccer team lost to the eighth-ranked University of Washington Bears at Gordon Field. It was the Judges’ first home loss of the season. The game started off at a very fast tempo with both sides unable to maintain control of the pace. Midway through the first half the pace started to settle down and the Judges had most of the scoring chances; however, the Judges were unable to take advantage of any of these shots and ouldn’t get on the score board. Washington University scored in the 39th minute when senior midfielder Cody Costakis inbounded a corner kick to the far goal post where senior midfielder Zach Hendrickson headed it to the feet of senior forward Michael Chamberlain.
Chamberlain finished the feed with a rocket shot to the back of the net to put the Bears ahead 1-0 at halftime. Despite very physical play in the second half, Brandeis once again had the advantage in scoring chances outshooting the Bears 11-2. Just like the first half, however, the Judges were unable to find the back of the net. Ocel, Russo and midfielder Kyle Feather ’14 kept the Judges in the game with their sensational play. Ocel and Lee combined for eight shots with six of those on goal and Feather controlled the middle of the field and assisted in many scoring opportunities for the Judges. Washington University sophomore goalie Jonathon Jebson kept the Bears on top with a career-high nine saves including a pair of acrobatic saves on two Ocel headers.
Washington University put the game out of reach in the 84th minute when senior forward Dylan Roman beat his defender to create a two-on-one with Brandeis goalie Blake Minchoff ’13. Roman crossed to junior midfielder Zach Query, who finished the breakaway with a shot past a diving Minchoff. Minchoff finished the game with just two saves and allowed more than one goal for just the third time all season. Despite holding a 17-9 advantage in shots, Brandeis was
unable to translate that advantage into a win.
Earlier in the week, Brandeis earned their first victory in UAA competition with a 2-1 win against the University of Chicago. Nasty weather and constant rain adversely affected the conditions of the field with both teams having to deal with slick and slippery turf. The conditions contributed to sloppy play with Chicago tallying 17 fouls and two yellow cards and Brandeis compiling 11 fouls and three yellow cards by the end of the match.
The Judges were able to score in the fourth minute of the game when forward Steve Keuchkarian ’12 made a perfect pass to Ocel, who blasted a shot from the penalty area into the left corner of the net to give the Judges a 1-0 lead. The goal was Ocel’s fourth of the season. Chicago tied the game in the 21st minute when rookie midfielder Nick Codispoti crossed the ball past Minchoff and to senior midfielder Alan Pikna who finished the play with a kick into the open net.
Applefield broke the 1-1 tie in the 57th minute when he dribbled down the left side of the field and made a perfect centering pass to Feather. Feather then shot a rocket past the diving Chicago goaltender Elek Lane to give Brandeis a 2-1 lead. Minchoff finished the match with four saves against one goal allowed while Lane finished with three saves and two goals allowed.
Brandeis returns to action Monday at 7 p.m. when they host Lasell College.
