WALTHAM, Mass. - The Brandeis men's soccer team suffered its first loss of the season today, 2-1, at the hands of Clark University.
Brandeis (2-1) and Clark (3-0-1) were tied at the intermission thanks to a pair of first-half penalty kicks. The Judges got on the board at the 14:14 mark when junior forward Patrick Metelus (Pernier, Haiti) converted after senior Ben Premo (Florence, Mass.) was pulled down in the box. It was Metelus's third goal of the campaign.
The Cougars answered 6:20 later when sophomore Baran Doenmez (Dublin, N.H.) notched his fifth of the season after a Clark player was also fouled in the box. Clark outshot Brandeis, 5-2, in the first half, with Brandeis junior Taylor Bracken (No. Andover, Mass.) making two saves and Clark senior Peter Wise (Providence, R.I.) stopping one.
The second half was a physical affair, with three yellow cards handed out and 31 fouls called, 19 to Brandeis and 12 to Clark. The Cougars finally broke through at the 71:54 mark when senior reserve forward Jenner Alpern (Towson, Md.) slotted a through ball to rookie Adrian Blackadar (Warwick, R.I.). He took a couple of touches before firing it past Brandeis rookie goalkeeper Sean O'Hare (Southampton, Mass.) to the far side of the net.
The Judges had a golden opportunity to tie the game in the 89th minute when Wise challenged a ball near the 18-yard line and was whistled for handling the ball outside the box. Premo's free kick went over the net, and the Cougars were able to stifle the hosts for the remaining time to hang on for the win.
For the game, Clark outshot Brandeis, 12-5, including 6-3 in shots on goal. All three goals who played in the game finished with two saves and one goal allowed.
Brandeis is next in action on Sept. 10 when they host rival Babson College at 7:30 p.m., while Clark hosts Colby-Sawyer College at 6:00 p.m. the same day.