Brandeis men cruise in NCAA opener, 3-0, over Johnson and Wales
WALTHAM, Mass. — The Brandeis University men's soccer team used some quick strikes, scoring twice in the first five minutes of the game and once early in the second half, to lead the Judges past Johnson and Wales University, 3-0, in the first round of the NCAA Division III Tournament today in front of a raucous crowd of 550 fans.
With the win, Brandeis improves to 15-4-1 overall, 9-1-1 at home on the season. Johnson and Wales suffers just its second loss of the campaign to fall to 14-2-6. Brandeis has now won three-straight NCAA games at home over the last two seasons. The Judges will take on the winner of tonight's second contest between Rutgers-Newark and Roger Williams tomorrow at 5 p.m.
Brandeis wasted little time getting on the board, scoring goals on its first two shots of the contest. In the second minute, junior forward Tyler Savonen (Orleans, Mass./Nauset Regional) beat Johnson and Wales junior goalie Ryan Dzierawski (Oakland, Mich./Rochester-Adam) to a ball at the upper right corner of the box. Savonen took a touch to beat the keeper and crossed it to a wide open Michael Soboff (Framingham, Mass./Newton South), who converted for his fifth goal of the season at the 1:51 mark.
Just over three minutes later, Soboff returned the favor. Senior Sam Ocel (No. Attleboro, Mass./No. Attleboro) found Soboff on the left wing, and his cross from there found Savonen for his team-leading 11th tally of the season.
"I thought that was the game right there," said Brandeis's 41st-year head coach Michael Coven. "Not to take anything away from Johnson and Wales, but we have been playing such good team defense, I didn't think we would ever give up three goals."
The Judges ended up controlling the game to the extent that they didn't even give up three shots, outshooting the Wildcats 9-1 in the half and by a 23-2 margin for the game. Brandeis tacked on a second insurance goal just 3:01 into the second half. In the 49th minute, Soboff picked up his second assist and fourth point of the game when he played a ball across the net to rookie forward Evan Jastremski (Marshfield, Mass./Marshfield), who deposited it in the back of the net for his fifth goal of the season.
JWU got its only shot on goal in the 61st minute, when rookie Xavier Carty (Mt. Vernon, N.Y./Thornton) put one on Brandeis junior Joe Graffy (Concord, N.H./Concord), who made the save to preserve his seventh clean sheet of the season. Dzierawski had six saves in the losing effort.
