WALTHAM, Mass. – Six members of the Brandeis University men's soccer team have been selected to the 2017 All-University Athletic Association (UAA) teams today. Senior midfielder Josh Ocel of North Attleboro, Massachusetts, was a first-team selection. The Judges' defense put three defenders and their goalkeeper on the second team: sophomore back Dylan Hennessy of New York, New York; senior back Sam Vinson of Lauderhill, Florida; sophomore back Alex Walter of Londonderry, New Hampshire; and senior goalkeeper Ben Woodhouse of Suffield, Connecticut.
Ocel, the team's leading scorer with four goals and eight assists for 16 points, earned first-team All-UAA honors for the fourth year in a row. He becomes just the second player in the history of the league to achieve that feat. Ocel's eight assists are third in the UAA, while his 16 points are tied for seventh. He enters the NCAA Division III tournament with 42 career helpers, two shy of the school record.
The Judges' three defenders represented a back line that was the stingiest in conference play this season, allowing just three goals in seven UAA contests. Their 13 total goals allowed was the second-fewest in the league. Hennessey also delivered two goals and three assists on the offensive end, with all three helpers coming during UAA play. Walter scored two goals and an assist this season, all coming in conference games. Vinson had one assist for the campaign. This is the first All-UAA selection for all three defenders.
In goal, Woodhouse played the first 13 games of the season, including the first four UAA contests, before suffering an injury that forced him to miss the final three league games. In those four UAA games, he saved 23 of the 24 shots he faced, including a career-high 11 in a 2-0 win over Carnegie Mellon Oct. 7, and eight in a 1-0 overtime win against Emory on Oct. 15. Woodhouse's regular season ended with an 0.78 goals-against average – third-lowest in the conference - and 44 saves, fifth-most. His .958 save percentage and 0.27 GAA in UAA games were both the lowest in the league. Woodhouse was a first-team All-UAA selection as a sophomore and a second-team selection last year.
In addition, senior defensive midfielder Christian Hernandez of Revere, Massachusetts, was an honorable mention for the second year in a row.
Brandeis closed the regular season with a 13-4 record, ranked No. 19 in Division III by the United Soccer Coaches and No. 20 by D3soccer.com. The Judges earned a sixth-straight at-large berth to the NCAA tournament and the right to host for the fifth time. They will meet Western Connecticut State University in the first round on Saturday night at 5 p.m. Details for Brandeis's NCAA Regional can be found at http://www.brandeisjudges.com/sports/msoc/2017-18/ncaa/index.