The Men’s soccer team took on NYU in their last game of the regular season and senior day on Nov. 7. The Judges defeated NYU, 3-0, in an intense battle.
The first goal of the game came in the 35th minute, when Josh Handler ’19 dribbled around an NYU defender and passed the ball into the box for Evan Jastremski ’17. Jastremski snuck the ball pass the NYU goalkeeper for his second goal of the season and the first goal of the game.
The two teams battled each other, with the officials stopping the game multiple times to calm players on both sides down. The Judges racked up 13 fouls against NYU, while NYU committed 10 throughout the duration of the game.
The game seemed as though it would end at 1-0, however the Judges secured their win with two more goals at the end of the second half. In the 81st minute Zach Vieira ’17 scored off a rebound from a blocked shot in the box, making it Vieira’s fourth goal of the season. The final goal came in the just five minutes later when Josh Berg ’17 passed the ball from midfield to Josh Ocel ’17 who fired a shot from the top of the box over the head of the NYU goalkeeper. The Judges outshot their opponents 24-6 overall and 10-1 in shots on goal.
The game marked the 69th win for the senior class. Brandeis goalkeeper Kenn Fryer ’16 had one save during the game and achieved his fifth shutout of the season. Fryer was one of seven seniors to be honored before the game began, recognizing Fryer, Josh Hacunda ’16, Robbie Lynch ’16, Jake Picard ’16, Chris Bradley ’16, Michael Chaput ’16 and Conor Lanahan ’16.
The Judges end their regular season 16-2-1 and are ranked fifth in Division III by the NSCAA. The Judges finished with a conference record of 6-1, earning them a victory over their conference and an automatic bid to the NCAA tournament.
The Judges earned home field advantage in the first round of the NCAA tournament which will take place this Saturday at 5 p.m. Brandeis will meet Thomas College on Gordon Field, followed by another first round match-up of RPI and Stevens Institute of Technology at 7:30 p.m. The winner of each game will play Sunday at 5 p.m. on Gordon Field and in the second round tournament game.
The Judges have yet to play Thomas College, who has not met another NCAA contender during their regular season. However, the Judges have one of the top defenses in Division III with a .51 goals against average. The men’s soccer team have accumulated 12 shutouts this season, out of 19 games played. The Judges defense will be led by D3soccer.com National Defender of the Year in 2014, Conor Lanahan ’16. The Judges are just as solid offensively with senior captain Jake Picard recording three game-winning goals this season, and Josh Ocel ’17 with 3 goals this season as well and a UAA conference leading nine assists this season.
