WALTHAM, Mass. – For the fourth year in a row, the Brandeis men's soccer team has been selected to host the first two rounds of the NCAA Division III Tournament. The Judges (16-2-1) will face Thomas College (13-4-1) at 5 p.m. on Saturday, November 14, followed by a first-round match between RPI (11-4-3) and Stevens Institute of Technology (15-3-2) at 7:30 p.m. The winners will meet at 5 p.m. on Sunday for a chance to advance to the next round.
The Judges are making their 13th overall appearance in the NCAA tournament under head coach Mike Coven in his 43rd year on the sidelines. Coven guided the Judges to a national championship in 1976 and runner-up status in 1984. Brandeis won its first-ever outright University Athletic Association title this season, going 6-1 in the conference and earning their first automatic bid to the tournament.
The Judges have one of the top defenses in Division III, having surrendered just 10 goals in 19 contests for a 0.51 goals-against average. The Judges posted 12 shutouts this season, including 10 wins by a 1-0 score. The defense is led by senior center back Conor Lanahan (Avon, Conn./Avon), who was named the D3soccer.com National Defender of the Year in 2014. Offensively, the Judges are a balanced squad with five different players having scored three goals on the season. Junior midfielder Josh Ocel (No. Attleboro, Mass./Worcester Acad.) leads the team with 15 points thanks to a UAA-leading nine assists, while senior midfielder Jake Picard (Suffield, Conn./Suffield) has three game-winning goals to his name.
Thomas is making its fourth NCAA tournament appearance in the last six years as champions of the North Atlantic Conference. Senior Tre Ming leads Thomas with 32 points on six goals and 20 assists, earning 2015 NAC Player of the Year honors. Freshman DJ Nicholas is next with 28 points on a team-high 13 goals - including three game-winners - and two assists, while sophomore Willie Clemons and freshmen Josh Emard and Adam LaBrie are tied with 25 points apiece. Clemons has eight goals and nine assists, Emard 10 goals and five assists and LaBrie 11 goals and three assists. Junior Joakim Sternas has recorded the majority of time in goal for Thomas this season, posting a 1.46 goals against average, a .758 save percentage and 72 saves in just over 1400 minutes.
Brandeis and Thomas have never met, but the Judges defeated the 2014 NAC champions, Husson University, in the first round of the tournament last year. The teams have no common opponents, and Thomas has not played any other NCAA tournament squads. Brandeis is 5-2-1 against the rest of the field.
Brandeis is looking to advance to the Sweet 16 of the NCAA Division III tournament for the fourth-straight year. The Judges are looking to build on last year's trip to the Elite Eight.
In the other match at Brandeis, Stevens Tech won its ninth-straight Empire Eight tournament title to reach the Big Dance for the 13th straight year, while Rensselaer earned an at-large bid out of the Liberty League.
Tickets for the weekend's games will be $6 for adults, $3 for senior citizens and students and $2 for children between the ages of 2 and 13. Brandeis students will be free with their University ID.