It was a warm day with plenty of humidity as two rival teams prepared to face off in their yearly matchup. On Sept. 10, the Brandeis men’s soccer team played against Babson College for a physical matchup that did not disappoint. In 2018, Babson got the better of Brandeis 2-0, however in the very next year the Judges bounced back and won 2-1. The battle continued in 2021, as the Judges traveled to Babson and ended up losing 0-1. This year, the Judges had the home field advantage and were ready to get back into the win column against their rival.
The game started off with very little offense from both teams. Babson had a shot after seven minutes, but it went wide right. Brandeis got their offense rolling a few minutes later with a couple of corner kicks from freshman midfielder Rainer Osselmann-Chai ’26 and a shot by junior forward Max Horowitz ’24. Although his shot was saved, Brandeis got another opportunity in the 14th minute. This time they made it count as Osselmann-Chai made a pass toward senior forward Sancho Maroto Tobias ’23. He took a shot that went past a defender and the goalie into the top left corner of the goal. This was Marato Tobias’ second goal of the season and Osselmann-Chai’s third assist in just four games. The two teams traded shots for over 30 minutes but neither team could score. As the game approached half time, it seemed as if Brandeis would hold onto a 1-0 lead going into the second half. However, Babson tied the game 1-1 in the 40th minute following a corner kick. At the start of the second half, Brandeis wasted no time trying to get back on top. Maroto Tobias took advantage of some space on the right side of the field and got a cross into the box. It was deflected by a couple of Babson defenders before going into the net in the 46th minute. The game progressed with Babson out-shooting Brandeis in the second half as they attempted to tie the game. Brandeis played a physical game with nine fouls in the second half alone. Their physical game, though, paid off as the Judges won 2-1, the battle between the two schools continuing to alternate. Babson outshot Brandeis 18-9, however Babson only had two more shots on target than Brandeis. Senior goalie Aiden Guthro ’23 had a phenomenal game. He had seven saves in the game while allowing just one goal. His two saves in the second half ensured the Judges’ victory. Between the two teams, there were 23 fouls; Brandeis had 14 of them. The Judges also had three yellow cards, while Babson had two. Each team had eight corner kicks, but Babson had the only goal off of a corner kick.
Brandeis’ season record is now 2-1-1 after their tough win against Babson. Their next two games will be away on Sept. 17 and 21. The first game will be against Wesleyan University at noon and the second game will be against Wheaton College at 4:30 p.m.
