WALTHAM, Mass. – The Brandeis University men's soccer team is returning to the postseason for the first time in four years. The Judges have earned the fourth seed in the 2010 Eastern College Athletic Conference (ECAC) Division III New England tournament and will face fifth-seeded Albertus Magnus College on Wednesday November 10 at 6 p.m.
In head coach Mike Coven's 38th season on the sidelines, the Judges finished the regular season with a record of 9-7-1, 1-5-1 in the University Athletic Association. Six of the squad's seven losses were by one goal, with three defeats coming at the hands of NCAA tournament qualifiers. In UAA play, they defeated NCAA tournament squad Rochester, 1-0, and tied Emory, 1-1. The Judges have not been to the postseason since winning the 2006 ECAC tournament.
On the field, the Judges are led by junior forward Luke Teece (Tucson, Ariz./University), who had nine goals and two assists for 20 points, while classmate Alexander Farr (Nahant, Mass./St. Johns Prep) has seven goals and an assist for 15 points. Sophomores Joe Eisenbies (Hingham, Mass./Hingham) and Lee Russo (Westford, Mass./Westford Acad.) have six and five goals, respectively.
Albertus Magnus posted a 15-5-1 record overall to set a school record for wins in a season. They finished second in the Great Northeast Athletic Conference with a 6-2-1 mark. The Falcons were 2-1 against NCAA teams with a win over Nichols and a split with Suffolk, including a 2-1 loss in the GNAC championship match. AMC is coached by Jim Bernardo, who is in his fifth season, while long-time assistant coach Frank Raio '83 is a member of the Brandeis Athletic Hall of Fame. The Falcons are paced by sophomore Steven Zapata, who has 29 points on eight goals and 13 assists, while junior Jamal Howard has 12 goals and four helpers for 28 points.
The teams have met twice before, in 2006 and 2007, with Brandeis winning both contests. The only common opponent between the two schools is Lasell College, who the Judges defeated, 2-0, while AMC earned a 2-2 draw with the Lasers.
The rest of the ECAC field features top-seeded Bridgewater State (12-5) hosting No. 8 Lesley (15-2-1); second-seeded Western New England (13-6-2) facing seventh-seeded Lyndon State (12-4-3); and No. 3 Salve Regina (13-5-2) taking on No. 6. Framingham State (11-9-1). All ECAC first-round games will be played at the higher seed, with the highest remaining team after the quarterfinals hosting the semis and finals on Nov. 13 and 14.