WALTHAM, Mass. – Three Brandeis soccer players have been selected as University Athletic Association (UAA) Players of the Week for Sept. 28. Senior Robbie Lynch of Weymouth, Mass., and junior Zach Vieira of Andover, Mass., were honored as men's Defensive and Offensive Players of the Week, while senior Mathilde Robinson of Miami, Fla., was chosen as women's Defensive Player of the Week.
Vieira and Lynch were crucial to the Brandeis men's 1-0 victory at defending national champion Tufts on Saturday. Vieira scored the game's only goal, putting a head on a cross from sophomore Patrick Flahive in the 29th minute. It was Vieira's first goal of the season and the 10th of his career.
From there, Lynch and the Brandeis defense held the top-ranked Jumbos off the board. The Judges held the hosts to just two more shots on goal (10 total) in the final 60 minutes of action. The loss was just the third suffered by Tufts over the last two seasons – two of which came at the hands of the Judges. Brandeis is now 49-5-1 against non-conference opponents over the last four seasons, including 43-2 in the regular season.
The Brandeis men are currently 7-1 on the season, with six of their wins coming by a 1-0 score, including the last five in a row. Ranked #3 nationally in Division III by D3soccer.com and #8 by the National Soccer Coaches Association of America, the Judges face Wheaton (Mass.) – ranked #7 in New England and preseason #24 in the nation – today at 4 p.m. before taking on Carnegie Mellon Saturday at 1 p.m. in the UAA opener.
Robinson, a defensive midfielder, helped the Brandeis women equal a school record with their ninth-straight win to start the season. The Judges defeated Babson, 3-0, and Tufts, 1-0, last Tuesday and Saturday, respectively. Robinson and the Brandeis midfield controlled play to the extent that the Judges outshot their two opponents by a 47-7 margin, 18-2 in shots on goal.
At 9-0, the Judges have tied the 2003 team for second-best start to a campaign. They can equal the 1985 squad at 10-0 in their next match and are two wins away from last season's school-record 11-match winning streak. Ranked #10 by the NSCAA and #11 by D3soccer.com, the Judges take on Wellesley College tonight at 7 p.m. before facing Carnegie Mellon (#4 D3Soccer.com, #5 NSCAA) Saturday at 10:30 a.m. in their UAA opener.
Lynch is a 2011 graduate of Weymouth High School.
Vieira is a 2013 graduate of The Brooks School.
Robinson is a 2012 graduate of Miami Palmetto High School.
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