CLEVELAND (information taken from a CWRU press release) – Four different players scored goals today as the Brandeis University men's soccer team defeated host Case Western Reserve University, 4-0, in the University Athletic Association opener for both teams. The Judges, ranked 14th in Division III by the National Soccer Coaches Association of America and ninth by D3soccer.com, improved to 10-1 on the season, 1-0 in the UAA. The Spartans fell to 5-2-3, 0-1 in the conference, after suffering their first shutout of the season.
Brandeis threatened to open the scoring in the 23rd minute when a shot by junior transfel Michael Soboff (Framingham, Mass./Newton South) got past Spartan freshman goalkeeper Frank Candau (Twinsburg, Ohio/Twinsburg) but was cleared off the goal line by sophomore midfielder Slater Jameson (Pittsford, N.Y./Pittsford Mendon).
The visiting Judges kept the heat on, however, and opened the scoring just one minute later as senior back Ben Applefield (Avon, Conn./Avon) notched his first goal of the season. Applefield dribbled past two Spartan defenders and sent a shot to the upper right corner of the net. The goal proved to be Applefield's second career game-winner.
The second-half scoring started early as a free kick by senior forward Kyle Feather (Pinebrook, N.J./Montville Township) deflected off an outstretched Candau and fell to Soboff, who tapped it in for his fourth goal of the season in the 49th minute.
The aggressive attack from the Judges continued as they added two more goals at the 74th and 79th minute marks. Sophomore back Jake Picard (Suffield, Conn./Suffield) scored the third when he sent a header into the upper left corner of the goal off a Soboff corner kick. Picard, playing in just his second game since mid-September, registered his third career goal.
A free kick in Spartan territory set up the fourth score. Soboff took the kick quickly and passed to Applefield who found an open Zach Vieira (Andover, Mass./Brooks School), who scored in his third-straight game to make the score 4-0.
In net, Candau saved four shots, while Brandeis junior Joe Graffy (Concord, N.H./Concord) made two stops.
For the match, Brandeis led in shots (14-5) and corner kicks (7-2). Both teams compiled 18 fouls in a physical 90 minutes.
The Judges are off until their home UAA opener next weekend against Rochester at 3 p.m. The game will be Brandeis's Homecoming Weekend and will follow a ceremony honoring the Judges' 75 years of soccer coaching (41 years for men's coach Mike Coven, 34 for women's coach Denise Dallamora).