WALTHAM, Mass. – Coming off their run to the NCAA Division III Men's Soccer Final Four, the Brandeis men's soccer team has earned a host of individual accolades.
Leading the way is junior midfielder Josh Ocel of North Attleboro, Mass., who was selected as an All-American by the National Soccer Coaches Association of America for the second year in a row. Ocel was a third-team member this year after earning second-team accolades as a junior. Ocel anchored the Brandeis midfield and was the team's leading scorer with six goals and 15 assists for 27 points. His 15 assists were fifth in all of Division III men's soccer, while his 0.71 assists per game were sixth. Ocel finished one helper shy of Brandeis's single-season record. After three seasons at Brandeis, Ocel ranks second on the team's career list with 34 assists. After missing his rookie season to injury, he will return in 2017 after receiving a medical hardship season. Ocel also earned first-team All-New England, All-University Athletic Association (UAA) and Eastern College Athletic Conference (ECAC) honors.
Senior forward Evan Jastremski of Marshfield, Mass., and defender Kyle Robinson of York, Maine, were both selected as second-team All-UAA and first-team All-ECAC honorees. Jastremski was the team's second-leading scorer with five goals and two assists for 12 points. He scored twice in Brandeis's 3-1 win over Rochester in UAA play and also added a goal in the NCAA tournament in a 1-1 draw with Amherst College in which the Judges advanced on penalty kicks. Robinson anchored the Brandeis defense at center back in each of the past three seasons. He's started 54 matches since cracking the lineup in his sophomore season, helping the Judges record 28 shutouts in that span. This season, the Judges finished fourth in the UAA and 59th in Division III with an 0.89 goals-against average. Both Jastremski and Robinson were also named to the All-Tournament Team at the Division III Final Four.
Junior goalkeeper Ben Woodhouse of Suffield, Conn., was a second-team All-UAA and first-team All-ECAC selection as well. Woodhouse finished second in Division III this season in minutes played, as he was between the pipes for all 2,215 minutes played by the Judges this season. He also led the conference with 88 saves, ranking 87th in Division III. His .800 save percentage was third in the league and also 87th nationally, while his 0.89 goals-against average finished fourth in the conference and 59th nationally. Woodhouse was outstanding in the NCAA tournament, including a career-high 10 saves during the 110 minutes of regulation and overtime and three more during penalty kicks as the Judges advanced past Amherst in the Sweet 16. He also made four outstanding saves and several other remarkable plays during the Judges' 1-0 loss to Calvin (Michigan) in the semifinals.
Also earning honorable mention All-UAA honors was junior defensive midfielder Christian Hernandez of Revere, Mass.
Overall this season, the Brandeis University men's soccer team finished with a record of 13-6-4 and was ranked fourth in Division III at the end of the season. The Judges defeated Western New England, 2-1, in overtime; St. Joseph's (Maine), 3-0; Amherst, 3-1 on penalty kicks after a 1-1 tie; and Rutgers-Newark, 4-2, to reach the fourth Final Four in program history. Brandeis became just the ninth program ever to send both its men's and women's teams to the Final Four in the same season.