WALTHAM, Mass. – Four members of the Brandeis University soccer teams have been selected to the Capital One Academic All-District® teams, as selected by the College Sports Information Directors of America (CoSIDA). Seniors Ben Applefield of Avon, Conn., and Sam Ocel of North Attleboro, Mass., were selected for the Brandeis men. The Brandeis women were represented by senior Kelly Peterson of Houston, Texas, and junior Michelle Savuto of Ridgewood, N.J. All four will now be eligible for Capital One Academic All-America® honors, which will be announced later this month.
Applefield, a senior captain and defender, has two goals and a career-high eight assists this season. His eight assists are tied for the University Athletic Association (UAA) lead as of Nov. 1. That total included three assists in a 6-0 win over Wentworth Institute of Technology on Sept. 25. He also scored the game-winning goal and added an assist in a 4-0 UAA win over Case Western Reserve University on Oct. 5. Applefield was an honorable mention All-UAA selection as a junior. He has six goals and 18 assists for 30 points in his career. Academically, Applefield boasts a 3.65 grade-point average in history, having earned four Dean’s List honors and three Academic All-UAA honors. He spent Spring 2013 studying abroad in Barcelona.
Ocel, a senior captain and forward/midfielder, has three goals – including a game-winner Sept. 10 against WPI - and three assists this season after transitioning to a more defensive-minded role. In 2012, he led the UAA in scoring with 13 goals and eight assists for 34 points and was named the conference player of the year. Among his 13 goals that season were nine game-winners, as Ocel earned All-America honors from the National Soccer Coaches Association of America (NSCAA) and D3soccer.com. Ocel, who missed his sophomore season due to injury, spent the spring of 2013 interning in an endodontic office preparing for dental school, so that he could return to the pitch this fall. Ocel boasts a 3.41 grade-point average as a biology major, earning Dean’s List five times and Academic All-UAA honors three times. He was an Academic All-District selection in 2012 as well.
The Brandeis men started the 2013 season with a 10-1 record, ascending to #7 in the D3soccer.com national poll and #12 in the NSCAA Division III poll. They currently own a 12-4 mark with three regular-season contests remaining.
Peterson, a senior back and co-captain, is a two-time honorable mention All-UAA selection. This season she has one goal, coming in a 3-2 loss at the hands of Gordon College on Sept. 18. Peterson spent the spring of 2013 studying in the Netherlands and the summer as an International Affairs Intern with the World Affairs Council of Houston. She owns a 3.69 grade-point average as a sociology major with a minor in Social Justice and Social Policy. She has been named to the Dean’s List four times and Academic All-UAA team three times.
Savuto, a junior goalkeeper has started every game for the Judges this season, playing all but 50 of the squad’s nearly 1,400 minutes. She has 65 saves to lead the UAA, with a 1.00 goals-against average and a .812 save percentage on the season. She earned UAA Defensive Player of the Week honors twice this season. Academically, Savuto owns a 3.82 grade-point average as a Health: Science, Society and Policy major with minors in economics and legal studies. She has been on the Dean’s List every semester and on the Academic All-UAA team twice. Savuto also studied abroad in the Netherlands in spring 2013, working in Waltham over the summer with Boston Biomedical Consultants.
As anchors of the Brandeis defense, Peterson and Savuto had helped the Judges record nine shutouts in their 15 contests, the second-best shutout percentage in the UAA and 32nd in Division III in 2013. In 2012, they helped the team establish a new program record with 14 shutouts on the season as the Judges reached the Elite Eight of the NCAA Division III tournament. This season, the Judges started 5-0 and reached as high as #8 nationally in the NSCAA Division III poll and #9 in D3soccer.com. They currently have a record of 9-5-1 with three games remaining.
Applefield is a 2010 graduate of Avon High School. He is the son of Dean and Deb Applefield, Avon, Conn.
Ocel is a 2009 graduate of No. Attleboro High School. He is the son of Jeffrey and Pamela Ocel, No. Attleboro, Mass.
Peterson is a 2010 graduate of Clear Lake High School. She is the daughter of Doug Peterson and Randa McCartney, Houston, Texas.
Savuto is a 2011 graduate of Ridgewood High School. She is the daughter of Paul and Deborah Savuto, Ridgewood, N.J.
Click here for access to the complete Capital One Academic All-District teams: http://www.cosida.com/news.aspx?id=4245