#7/12 MSoccer gets first-ever win at Emory, 1-0

Patrick Flahive '17 (photo by Sportspix)
Patrick Flahive '17 (photo by Sportspix)

ATLANTA, Ga. -- The Brandeis University men's soccer team earned a key University Athletic Association (UAA) road victory this evening, 1-0, over the Emory University Eagles. With the win, the Judges, ranked No. 7 in the nation in Division III by D3soccer.com and No. 12 by the NSCAA, improve to 14-2-1 overall, 4-1 in the UAA. The Eagles fall to 8-5-2, 2-2-1 UAA.

Brandeis scored the game's only goal in the 58th minute. After drawing a free kick deep in the offensive zone, junior midfielder Josh Ocel (No. Attleboro, Mass./Worcester Acad.) stepped to the ball. His cross found the head of sophomore forward Patrick Flahive (Chatham, Ill. / Worcester Acad.), who buried it for his second game-winning goal of the season and of his career. The assist was Ocel's UAA-leading eighth of the campaign. 

Shots for the game were even at 8-8. The Judges owned a 4-2 lead in the first half, but the Eagles took a 6-4 advantage in the second. All six of Emory's shots came after Brandeis had gone ahead. The hosts had a chance in the 60th minute when Scott Haley hit the crossbar. Brandeis sophomore Ben Woodhouse (Suffield, Conn./Suffield) made a spectacular diving save in the 87th minute of EU's Matt Sherr to preserve the clean sheet.

Woodhouse finished with three saves, while Emory's Abe Hannigan had two stops. The win was Brandeis's 10th by a 1-0 score this season, including their last four victories. Thirteen of their 14 triumphs have been by one goal. The Judges' shutout was their 11th of the campaign. 

The win was Brandeis's first-ever in Atlanta against Emory. They were 0-14-0 in their previous 14 trips. The win also puts the Judges in sole possession of first place in the UAA, as their co-leader Case Western Reserve suffered a 1-0 loss to Chicago. 

Brandeis can clinch a share of their second UAA title in three years in their next contest on Sunday with a win at the University of Rochester. The match is slated for a 1:30 start.