Third-ranked Brandeis men’s soccer team defeated seventh-ranked Carnegie Mellon in a high-scoring game on Saturday, Oct. 3 at home. It was the first UAA conference match-up of the season for the Judges, who are now 1-0 in games against conference opponents. The victory advanced the team’s overall record to 9-1-0.
From both sides of the field, shots were taken with extreme precision. The Judges outshot the visiting team with 16 shots, nine of which landed on goal, whereas Carnegie Mellon had 10 total shot opportunities, with seven total on goal. Every shot on goal from the Judges in the first half reached the back of the net, scoring three points in the first half. Josh Ocel ’17 and Robbie Lynch ’16 led Brandeis in shots with three each.
Brandeis goalkeeper Ben Woodhouse ’18 racked in five total saves throughout the game. The opposing goalie matched Woodhouse with five saves. All of the saves executed by the Tartan goalie were achieved in the second half.
The first goal came shortly after the starting whistle, in the fourth minute. A throw-in from captain Lynch provided the assist for Zach Vieira’s ’17 third goal of the season, which landed in the bottom right corner of the goal.
Another Brandeis goal occurred in the 19th minute from captain Conor Lanahan ’16. On a free kick 35 yards out, Lanahan blasted the ball into the upper-right-hand corner of the goal, tipping the fingertips of the keeper’s and landing in the back of the net. The goal was Lanahan’s second goal of the season and secured a 2-0 lead for the Judges.
The final goal of the first half for the Judges occurred in the 34th minute and came from the foot of Ocel, who logged his third goal of the season. The assist on the play was given to Joshua Handler ’19, who earned his first assist of the season. The rest of the first half remained 3-0, with no shots from either team.
In the 67th minute, play was stopped for 15 minutes due to injury. In the same minute, a Carnegie Mellon player scored the Tartans’ first goal off a penalty kick to cut into the three-goal deficit.This goal advanced the score to 3-1.
The Judges responded with a fourth goal to progress the game to 4-1 in the 77th minute. Ocel lobbed a cross in front of the goal. The ball was headed directly into the net by Josh Berg ’17, who recorded his second goal of the season.
The last goal, one for Carnegie Mellon, in the 4-2 game occurred in the 86th minute. No more shots would be taken for the duration of the game.
The Judges also faced off against MIT on Tuesday, Oct. 6. The game ended in a 0-0 tie, lasting through double overtime. The team will enter its next game with a 9-1-1 record against Case Western Reserve University, who they are scheduled to play on Sunday Oct. 11 at Case.
