Since our last publication, both the men’s and women’s soccer teams have concluded their 2023 fall seasons. They each faced the New York University (NYU) Violets in their final matches of the season on Sat. Nov. 4. As NYU is a part of the University Athletic Association (UAA), these games were set to be highly competitive. The women came away with a loss while the men tied in a closely matched game.
The women’s game was the first of the day, which commenced at 11 a.m. on the Rutgers-Newark campus. The Judges came out aggressively and were the first to score in this highly anticipated match against the #16-ranked NYU Violets. The goal was shot from about 30 yards out by midfielder Abby Kenkelen ’27. The ball hit the crossbar and was deflected across the goal line in the process of doing so. This was Kenlelen’s first goal of her collegiate soccer career, and the only goal the Judges scored during the game. After the first half concluded, the Violets put the pressure on and began to play like the Judges anticipated they would. They scored four goals in the remaining 45 minutes of the game, one in the 57th minute, one in the 72nd minute, one in the 77th minute and their last in the 89th minute of play. Despite this loss, the Judges were pleased with getting on the board during a UAA conference game which is a great accomplishment in and of itself. Coming away from the 2023 season, the women’s team had an overall record of 6-8-3 and a UAA conference record of 0-7. With only four graduating seniors and a talented group of first-years, the Judges have a bright future ahead of them which will certainly entail a significant amount of UAA conference wins.
A few hours later, on the same field, the men’s team faced the NYU men’s soccer team in a highly competitive match which resulted in a 3-3 tie. This score was primarily the result of goalkeeper Quintin Wrabley ’25’s 14 saves to keep the Judges alive. This was also the Judges’ highest scoring game of the season. The only goal in the first half was scored by NYU off of a free kick. Coming off of a seemingly empowering halftime talk from the Brandeis coaching staff, the Judges scored within 30 seconds into the second half. This goal was the result of a beautiful cross from Gabriel Haithcock ’25 to Sancho Maroto Tobias ’24 who nailed the ball into the back of the NYU net for his fifth goal of his senior season. The Judges then came back in the 54th minute of play to obtain the lead off of a cross from Maroto Tobias which set up his classmate, Roee Maor ’24 for a perfect opportunity to capitalize. Maor’s goal here was also his fifth goal of his senior season. Keeping things exciting, the Violets came back to tie the game once more in the 79th minute. The Violets then scored again four minutes later, now leading 3-2 over the Judges. Despite this quick comeback by the Violets, the Judges’ impressive aggression did not fail them as they scored a minute later, to tie the game 3-3 and top off the scoring for this match. This final goal was the result of a cross from Elan Romo ’26 to Rainer Osselmann-Chai ’26 who found the back of the NYU net. This was Osselmann-Chai’s third goal of the season. Despite coming away with the tie, the Judges nearly came out victorious from a high-pressure situation involving Maddox Yu ’27 and the NYU keeper, though he came away unsuccessful with this scoring-attempt. Finishing off their season with an overall record of 3-8-6, this is a new record for ties in a season for the Judges. The men’s team also earned a 1-3-3 in-conference record for the season.
As the Judges conclude their seasons, they look onto their future seasons with excitement for the potential each team possesses and the possibilities the incoming class of 2028 will have to offer next season.
