WALTHAM, Mass. – In a showdown between a pair of undefeated men's soccer teams, the host Brandeis University Judges used a goal in the 58th minute to defeat the Wheaton College Lyons on Gordon Field tonight. Brandeis, ranked first in New England and fourth in the nation in Division III, improves to 9-0 on the season. Wheaton, ranked second in the region and 12th nationally, falls to 9-1-1.
Brandeis controlled the first half, outshooting Wheaton, 8-1, but the Judges were unable find the back of the net. The hosts controlled the first 35 minutes of play, getting six of their eight shots, putting two on net, but rookie David Sorkenn (River Edge, N.J./River Dell Regional) made the stops on Brandeis's Michael Soboff (Framingham, Mass./Newton South) and Josh Ocel (North Attleboro, Mass./No. Attleboro). Wheaton pressed in the final 10 minutes but were unable to get any quality shots.
Wheaton got two early shots in the second half before Brandeis finally found the back of the net. Judge sophomore Evan Jastremski (Marshfield, Mass./Marshfield) shook free of the Lyon defense along the right sideline. He served a ball into the box to Soboff, who turned and shot it by a diving Sorkenn. The goal was Soboff's sixth of the season and his fourth game-winner. It was his eighth in 30 games for the Judges. The assist was Jastremski's third of the season.
Wheaton's pressure intensified after the goal, but the visitors were unable to convert. They earned four of their five corner kicks and had six of their eight second-half shots after falling behind, including a short corner in the 65th minute that resulted in Amara Sesay's (Bronx, N.Y./Martin Luther King) shot that was blocked well in front of the goal by Brandeis senior Robbie Lynch (Weymouth, Mass./Weymouth). Wheaton was only able to put one late attempt on Brandeis senior Joe Graffy (Concord, N.H./Concord), by junior Kevin Gil (Pawtucket, R.I./Wheeler School).
For the game, Brandeis outshot Wheaton, 15-9. The Lyons had the edge, 8-7, in the second half, but ultimately were held well below their 21.3 shots per game. The Judges, who rank second in Division III in goals-against average, recorded their seventh shutout in nine games, dropping their GAA to 0.22, while shutting down DIII's seventh-ranked offense, as Wheaton entered the game ranked seventh, scoring 3.4 goals per game.
Brandeis opens University Athletic Association play on Sunday at 11 a.m. against Case Western Reserve. Wheaton hosts Babson in a key NEWMAC showdown Saturday at 1 p.m.