The Jury came out to support the Judges Saturday night, Sept. 27 as people lined the fence of Gordon Field. The energy of the fans fed the players’ spirits as the Judges fought a tight game with the Tufts Jumbos, in a battle of undefeated teams.
The first half ended scoreless after a vicious battle, resulting from missed calls and aggressive play by Tufts with 18 fouls compared to the Judges’ seven. The Jumbos outshot the Judges in the first half 7-0. However, Brandeis’ defense was tough, holding strong so their offense could get the job done in the second half. Joe Graffy ’15 made three saves in the first half, keeping the game scoreless. A highlight for Graffy came 44 minutes into the game, when he dove to rob Tufts’ Joe Santos of a goal.
Brandeis’ offense finally came to life early in the second half when Josh Ocel ’17 got a shot off from 20 yards away, only to be tipped over the crossbar by the Jumbos’ goalie, Scott Greenwood ’17. Michael Soboff ’15 made another attempt at a goal at the 68th minute. He hit the post on a cross, then shot just wide.
The Judges finally surpassed their opponent in the 79th minute. After being awarded a second corner kick in just a few minutes, Ocel pushed the ball into the box, where it was deflected by a defender, only to be controlled by Soboff. Soboff passed the ball back through the crowd for his second assist of the season, to Robbie Lynch ’15, who proceeded to score the Judges’ first goal of the night, as well as his first collegiate goal.
The Jumbos threatened to make it interesting when Tufts’ Tal Smith ’16 shot, only to be deflected by Graffy. Then Brandeis’ Tyler Savonen ’15 made an attempt at a goal, but his shot hit the post and rolled across the goalmouth before being swept away.
The Judges added some padding to their lead and secured the win with 2:28 left to go in the game. Conor Lanahan ’16 played a long ball from a defensive teammate and passed the ball to Zach Vieira ’17. Vieira worked past one defender and chipped past the Jumbos’ charging defender for the Judges’ second goal of the game, and Vieira’s fourth of the season.
Brandeis’ goalie, Graffy, finished with five saves in his 12th career shutout, while Brandeis finished with eight shots versus Tufts’ 12. However, the Judges outshot the Jumbos 8-5 in the second half. The win moved the Judges to 7-0 in the season, leaving the Jumbos 5-1. This win for Brandeis over Tufts avenged their only non-conference loss during the regular season since 2011.
The fifth-ranked Brandeis men’s soccer team will play at home on Sunday, Oct. 5 at 11 a.m. against Case Western Reserve University.
