The men’s soccer team clinched two key victories this past weekend, beating Emory University on Friday and the University of Rochester on Sunday.
The Judges beat Emory 1-0 in the University Athletic Association match up. The win marked the Judges’ first-ever victory in Atlanta against Emory.
The only goal came in the 58th minute when midfielder Josh Ocel ’17 launched a cross off a free kick that found the head of forward Patrick Flahive ’18, who buried the ball in the back of the net for his second game-winning goal of the season.
The Judges continued on to Rochester, New York for their last road UAA conference game of the season. The Judges beat Rochester 2-1, clinching Brandeis’ first-ever outright win of the University Athletic Association championship. The win improved the Judge’s overall record to 15-2-1 and 5-1 in conference play. As champions of the UAA conference, the men’s soccer team earned an automatic bid to the 2015 NCAA Division III tournament. The Judges knew the importance of this win, as seven of the team’s players on the inactive roster drove the six and a half hours to Rochester to see the game and support their teammates.
The Judges wasted no time in the contest against the University of Rochester. They capitalized on their first scoring opportunity of the game in the 29th minute of play. Josh Handler ’19 dribbled the ball up the left side of the field, before leading Josh Berg ’17 with a pass. Berg then shot the ball from six yards out, finding the back of the net for the first goal of the game and Berg’s third of the season.
Rochester answered just six minutes later with a goal off a free kick from 30 yards out, which was initially saved by Brandeis goalkeeper Ben Woodhouse ’18. However, Rochester’s Samuel Cekala ’18 was positioned in the right place to score on the rebound of his teammate’s free kick to tie the game at 1-1.
With the game so close, both teams turned to aggressive play. As a result, two yellow cards were given out in the first half and four in the second, for a total of six. However, Brandeis seemed to dominate in aggressive play, committing 21 fouls over the course of the game, compared to Rochester’s 14.
Although Rochester threatened with two close plays in the second half, it was Brandeis who would come out victorious. The game winning goal came in the 79th minute of the game. Ocel added another assist to his stats with a corner kick that found Kyle Robinson ’17 open at the far post. Robinson knocked the ball into the net for his first career goal. Ocel’s assist marks his ninth of the season, leading the UAA in assists. Five of Ocel’s nine assists have come from conference action.
The Judges are back in action this Saturday, Nov. 7. The Brandeis men’s soccer team will honor their six seniors before their last game of the regular season against New York University at 1:30 p.m. on Gordon Field.
