In front of alumni, current students and devoted Brandeis fans alike, the men’s soccer team opened up University Athletic Association (UAA) conference play with a win over the Carnegie Mellon Tartans on Gordon Field this past Homecoming weekend. After a scoreless first half on both sides, the Judges ultimately prevailed with a hard-fought 2-0 win against yet another prime opponent. After the match, the Judges improve to 6-2-3 (1-0-0) while the Tartans fall to 4-5-1 (0-1-0) on the season as a whole.
During the first half, there was no absence of action despite seeing no scoring from either team. Throughout the game as a whole, three yellow cards were distributed, one of which was to the Judges and two of which came well before the first half neared its end. With such physicality from both sides, it was only a matter of time before one team would take over.
Thankfully, that team was the Judges, who scored just after the second half of play began. Near the 47th minute, Jake Warren ’20 crossed a ball that would end up next to Elias Norris ’23 who was able to net his first goal of his collegiate career. Norris explains that, “It was one of my favorite moments of my soccer career. College soccer is a major step in anyone’s career, and everyone remembers their first collegiate goal.” Such an accomplishment was even more meaningful for Norris, as the defender-turned-wing player usually contributes in other ways on the field. From a holistic perspective, the young player concluded by saying that, “Playing an important role on a college team as a first-year is always very rewarding and exciting.”
Less than five minutes after Norris, Noah Gans ’21 assisted Max Breiter ’20 for his third goal of the season and the last goal of the game for either side.
Winning the first match of conference play in the highly competitive UAA is no small feat, as Gans commented, “It’s huge to start off on the right foot. The conference is wide open and there for the taking. We know we’ve got the ability in our locker room to win the UAA, and this was a step in the right direction.” For Brandeis athletes, wins such as these, especially on special weekends like Homecoming, make all of the hard work worthwhile.
On such an upward trajectory, the Judges hope to keep up this winning streak throughout the rest of not only conference play but also through the NCAA Tournament. Gans says that, “After last year, we’ve been overlooked and counted out. We have a chip on our shoulder, a desire to prove people wrong, and most importantly prove to ourselves that this is a special group capable of doing something Brandeis soccer hasn’t done in a long time.”
In goal, Greg Irwin ’20 posted yet another shutout after winning UAA Defensive Player of the Week for his performances against Wheaton and Mitchell. This week, he was also named Brandeis Athlete of the Week for his string of impressive performances. He has now held opponents scoreless for four straight games and leads the conference in saves. Over the course of his career, he has recorded 11 shutouts, with a save percentage of 0.846 on the current season. Against Carnegie Mellon, the keeper made four saves to make his total for the season round out at 44. Also, the Judges were advantageous in all categories throughout the game, leading the Tartans 11-8 in shots on goal, 5-4 in saves and 6-5 in corner kicks.
As the team heads into the rest of their season, all members have high hopes and expectations to continue this recent win streak. Like Gans, Norris has his eyes set on an NCAA Tournament run, pointing out that, “Our team has been working extremely hard since preseason until now, and we have faced a lot of adversity with injuries. Yet, we still have been playing very well, have a good record and continue to play as a family.”
With that mentality in mind, the team will take the field again this upcoming Saturday against another UAA opponent, this time on the road in Ohio against Case Western Reserve University at 1:30 p.m. They look to continue their winning streak and make their conference record 2-0.
