PITTSBURGH, Pa. (taken from a CMU press release) – Senior midfielder Daniel Mastalski’s (Beaver, Pa.) goal off a free kick proved the difference Friday night, as the host Carnegie Mellon Tartans defeated the Brandeis University Judges 1-0 at Gesling Stadium. The Tartans improve to 8-1-1 (2-1) on the season while the Judges fall to 6-5-1 (0-2-1).

With only 17:03 remaining in the game junior forward Andrew Park (Boise, Idaho) collided with Brandeis goalie Matt Kaplan (Melville, N.Y.) outside of the Judges’ penalty box, with Kaplan called for the foul. Mastalski took the kick and laced the ball just inside the left corner of the goal. The goal was his second of the season.

In the first half, the Tartans came close to scoring in the 16th minute when Mastalski’s corner was received by senior defender Matt Wilkinson (Basking Ridge, N.J.). Wilkinson’s shot hit the cross bar and bounced down into Kaplan’s arms.

Brandeis almost punched one in right before halftime when the ball was loose in the Carnegie Mellon penalty box. Brandeis’s David Weinstein (Holden, Mass.) got a shot off only to have freshman goalie Matthew Bazin (Mountain Lakes, N.J.) explode off his line and smother the ball right after it left Weinstein’s foot.

The Tartans outshot Brandeis 14-10, with Bazin making six saves and Kaplan saving three. Brandeis is next in action Sunday at 11 a.m. at Emory University.