WALTHAM, Mass. — Brandeis University rookie Evan Jastremski (Marshfield, Mass./Marshfield) scored his first collegiate goal 3:50 into overtime tonight to lift the 19th-ranked Judges men's soccer team to a 2-1 win over visiting MIT. With the win, Brandeis improves to 3-0 on the season, while MIT falls to 2-1.
For the second time this season and sixth time since the start of 2012, Brandeis came from behind to win. The Engineers got off to a flying start, getting two shots in the first 22 seconds and forcing Brandeis junior Joe Graffy (Concord, N.H./Concord) to make an early save. MIT scored on their next attempt, however. The visitors worked the ball around, and senior Matthew Monheit (Abington, Pa./Abington) found sophomore Austin Freel (San Diego, Calif./Torrey Pines) at the top of the box. Freel ripped a left-footed shot inside the right goalpost and past a diving Graffy for his third goal in as many games this season.
Brandeis would get off four of the next five shots before scoring the equalizer off a free kick in the 29th minute. Senior Sam Ocel (No. Attleboro, Mass./No. Attleboro) drew a foul just outside the 18-yard box as he went to net. Ocel feigned the initial free kick, and senior reserve forward Tudor Livadaru (Bronx, N.Y./Riverdale-Kingsbridge Acad.) followed with a left-footed strike into the upper-right netting. The goal was the fifth of Livadaru's career. Graffy and MIT sophomore Jake Amereno (Commack, N.Y./Commack) each had one more save in the first half to keep the score even as the Judges owned a 7-5 advantage in shots.
Brandeis dominated possession in the second half, taking seven shots to one for MIT, including a 4-0 edge in shots on goal, but Amareno was up to the task. He stopped Ocel twice, including an 81st-minute exchange in which Livadaru hit the post and Ocel collected the rebound. In overtime, Graffy made another early save on Freel before the game-winner from Jastremski in the 94th minute. Livadaru sent a ball into the offensive zone, and Jastremksi was able to break in behind the defense, beating a defender and Amereno to the ball for the tally. The assist was Livadaru's sixth of his career and marked his first three-point game.
Amareno finished with five saves for MIT in the losing effort, while Graffy had three stops for the Judges.
This marked the second-straight overtime win for Brandeis in their series with MIT. The Judges are now 30-24-3 against the Engineers in their second-most-played rivalry. Up next for the NSCAA's #19 squad is their most-frequent foe, Babson College, on Saturday evening at 7 p.m. MIT takes on Wentworth Saturday at 2 p.m. in their home opener.