WALTHAM, Mass. — Brandeis University junior midfielder Jake Picard (Suffield, Conn./Suffield) scored a pair of goals tonight as the Judges defeated Husson University, 3-0, in the first round of the NCAA Division III Men's Soccer Tournament. Brandeis improves to 18-2 on the season and advances to the second round for the third straight year. Husson's season comes to an end with a 13-8 record.
Playing in front of a raucous crowd of 790 fans at Gordon Field, Brandeis wasted little time in getting on the board, scoring on their second shot of the game. Senior forward Tyler Savonen (Orleans, Mass./Nauset) dribbled down the field through the defense before playing through to classmate Michael Soboff (Framingham, Mass./Newton North). Soboff, making his first start since October 7, turned and ripped a shot into the middle of the net past Husson senior Brian Potter (Waterville, Maine/Erskine Acad.). The goal was Soboff's seventh of the season, and his fifth game-winner, but it was his first tally since September. Soboff missed five games and saw limited time in three others in October due to injury. The assist was Savonen's third of the campaign.
The Judges would go on to outshoot Husson, 18-3, in the first half, and they added a second goal right before the break. With under a minute to go, senior back Robbie Lynch (Weymouth, Mass./Weymouth) dribbled along the perimeter of the 18-yard box before finding Picard. The first-team All-UAA member blasted a shot that went past a screened Potter inside the near left post to give the Judges some breathing room headed into the intermission. Picard would add a second goal in the 80th minute, when he deflected home rookie Brandon Miskin's (Needham, Mass./Worcester Acad.) corner kick with his hip. It marked Picard's first collegiate multi-goal game.
For the game, Brandeis outshot Husson, 29-5, including 13-1 in shots on goal. Potter made 10 saves, including a few acrobatic stops in each half. Brandeis senior Joe Graffy (Concord, N.H./Concord) had one stop in the first half on Husson's Cam Libby (Hampden, Maine/Hampden Academy). The shutout was Brandeis's 15th of the season, setting a new program record, while Graffy's 13th clean sheet of the campaign is one shy of a school mark. The team's 18th win is also the second-most in program history, behind only the 1984 NCAA tournament runners-up.
The Judges will take on the winner of tonight's second game between Brockport State and Bowdoin tomorrow at 5 p.m. for the right to move on the round of 16.
