WALTHAM, Mass. — Senior Kyle Feather (Pinebrook, N.J./Montville Township) scored the game's only goal and junior Joe Graffy (Concord, N.H./Concord) made it hold up tonight as the Brandeis University men's soccer team defeated visiting Babson College, 1-0, on Gordon Field. With the win, the Brandeis men, ranked third in New England and 19th nationally by the NSCAA, improve to 4-0 on the season. Babson, ranked fourth in the region, falls to 3-1.
In the 61st meeting between the two rivals, the first half was a scoreless affair, with Brandeis outshooting Babson, 6-4, but the Beavers owned a 2-1 edge in shots on goal. Graffy and Beaver senior Jackson Klein (Maplewood, N.J./Columbia) maintained their clean sheets.
In the second half, Graffy opened with a save on Babson's Bryan Rust (Granby, Conn./Granby Central) in the 52nd minute. In the 55th minute, Feather struck for the third time in four games this season. After a Beaver miscue some 30 yards from the net, Feather collected the ball and blasted a high shot. It hit the crossbar and tickled the back of the net. The goal proved to be Feather's second game-winner of the season and the sixth of his career. He now has 19 goals and 48 points for his career and will become the 22nd member of the half-century club with his next goal.
After the goal, Graffy made four more stops, including three in the final 10 minutes. In the 82nd, he picked off a Caleb Long (Kingston, Mass./Boston College High School) header and a shot from senior Mike Fisher (Longmeadow, Mass./Longmeadow). Graffy's final save came against sophomore Tyler Carlos (Prospect, Conn./Taft School), who tried to surprise the Judge netminder with a bicycle kick.
With his seven saves on the night, Graffy set a new career-high and established his first career shutout. Klein had two stops for the visitors, but surrendered just his second goal of the campaign. Babson ended up with a 12-10 edge in shots taken.
The win was Brandeis's second-straight in the all-time series with Babson, the most-played rivalry in Judges' history. It was the first time in four seasons that the showdown was not decided in double overtime, but the fifth-straight meeting decided by one goal. Brandeis still trails the series, 23-28-10.
Brandeis continues its three-match homestand Tuesday at 4 p.m. against WPI. Babson will host Mount Ida Wednesday at 4 p.m.