Homecoming weekend took place at Brandeis on Oct. 9 and 10, where both men’s and women’s soccer played against Case Western Reserve University. Both teams suffered a loss, pushing the men’s team to 3-6-2 in the season and 0-1-1 in the University Athletic Association (UAA), and the women’s team to 5-3-2 in the season and 0-2-2 in the UAA.
The men’s team were defeated 2-0. The men were out-shot by Case Western, 15-9, however they did have eight corner kicks compared to four for Case Western. Brandeis had three shots on goal. Case Western’s Jacob Hall scored the first goal of the match in the 25th minute, bypassing Brandeis’s Aiden Guthro ’23. Guthro had five saves in the game.
Brandeis made numerous attempts to score in the second half of the game. Michael Burch ’22 tried to score but hit the left post, during the 47th minute. In the 58th minute, Adam Kulick ’23 also attempted a goal, but it was blocked by Case Western’s goalkeeper Jackson Callen. Callen also stopped Skyah Dias’s ’22 shot on goal in the 70th minute.
Case Western’s Hall scored his second goal of the game in the 89th minute, which was the last goal of the game.
The men’s next game will be on their bi-annual UAA Midwest road trip, which will take place on Oct. 15, 16 and 17. They play the University of Chicago on Friday, Oct. 15 at 8:30 p.m. Eastern time. They then will take on Washington University on Sunday, Oct. 17 at 2:30 p.m. Eastern time.
The women’s team also took on Case Western Reserve, with a 2-1 defeat. For most of the first half of the game, the women had control of the ball, outshooting Case Western 9-1.
The first goal came in the 29th minute, from Case Western’s Carolyn Koutores, who put the ball in the net, going over Brandeis’s goalkeeper. Brandeis managed to tie the game soon after, with Caroline Swan ’23 kicking the ball into the goalie box. Although the ball bounced, Yasla Ngoma ’24 got the ball and scored into the net. This is Ngoma’s fifth goal of the season and Swan’s fourth assist.
However the tie did not last for long as Case Western scored early in the second half. Anika Washburn’s goal bypassed both Brandeis’ defenders. Hannah Bassan ’25 was unable to get to the ball, which allowed Brianna Van Zanten of Case Western to kick the ball into the net. Bassan made no saves in the game.
The women made numerous attempts to score another goal, however the Case Western goalkeeper, Maggie Storti, stopped all four goals. Lauren Mastandrea ’22 had a free kick in the 88th minute, which Storti also stopped from going into the net.
The women’s next game will be on their bi-annual UAA Midwest road trip, which will take place on Oct. 15, 16 and 17. They play the University of Chicago on Friday, Oct. 15 at 4 p.m. Eastern time. They then will take on Washington University on Sunday, Oct. 17 at 12 p.m. Eastern time.
Despite the losses, Brandeisians were able to enjoy the homecoming weekend. Along with the two soccer matches Saturday, Oct. 9 featured a volleyball match against Babson as well as competitions against alumni in various sports, including track and field, softball, basketball, swimming and tennis. Students were able to spend time and compete against their former teammates. “It was a very fun weekend… it was great to see my former teammates,” swimmer Jonathan Ayash ’22 told The Brandeis Hoot.
For spectators and families, there was also pizza and tacos, as well as an ice cream truck; the first two hundred students got vouchers to get the food for free. For the alumni there was also a complimentary beer garden as they cheered on the players.
There was also a bouncy house and a petting zoo with rabbits, chickens and goats. Children were also able to ride ponies, however students were not allowed to ride as they likely weighed more than the ponies themselves. During the 3 p.m. volleyball game, the first one hundred students were able to get free long sleeve shirts. There was also alumni gear available for sale and lawn games to play.
