The Brandeis men's soccer team displayed almost two full games of excellence before collapsing in the last three minutes this weekend. Shelton Stewart '06 and Yuval Ezer '07 combined for five goals and three assists as the Judges used an offensive explosion to rout Wentworth Tech 6-1 Thursday in the Judges home opener. Facing powerhouse Clark University two days later, the Judges played a scoreless game for 87 minutes, before allowing two goals at the end of regulation and falling 2-0 to the Cougars. The Judges fell to 1-2 on the season going into a two game road trip this week.The Judges outshot the Cougars 10-1 in the first half of Saturday's game, but were unable to find the net. Stewart sent a couple of shots wide and Ezer hit a crossbar in the second half on the way to a 15-6 shot advantage for the game. But with less than three minutes left, Cougar junior Raul Haynes kicked the ball to rookie David Blum who skied the ball into the upper right corner of the net over Judges goalkeeper Jake Knoll '08. The Judges followed Blum's goal with pressure on the other side of the field, but never were able to convert. Cougars goalkeeper Matt Talbot caught a corner kick in the final minute and punted it down field to Blum, who beat two Judges to the ball and lofted it over Knoll for his second goal to ice the game.

"It was disappointing," coach Mike Coven said. "We didn't play great but we played good enough to win. We dominated almost the entire game but one mistake is enough for us to lose."

"We all played well," co-captain Joe Jorge '05 said. "Sometimes you just get unlucky."

Two days earlier saw a different Judges team; that one was an offensive juggernaut. Brandeis showcased its international connection of Stewart (from Jamaica) and Ezer (from Israel) while running Wentworth Tech off the field. Stewart followed his first goal of the season with two more, registering his first hat trick of the season as well. Ezer chipped in with two goals and three assists. Charles Goodhue '06 assisted both of Ezer's goals.

Ezer gives Stewart-a member of the Jamaican national team and 13th on the Brandeis all time scoring list-his first legitimate scoring partner in the midfield and the duo played to perfection on Thursday. Stewart scored his first goal on a rebound after Ezer hit a crossbar and Ezer assisted on all three of Stewart's goals. Dan Carroll and Tim '05 each chipped in with a goal while Even Duval '08 and Oren Nhaissi '06 each registered assists on the day.

"They're a nice combination," Coven said of Ezer and Stewart. "But pretty soon teams will just be manning them up with big defenders. Other players besides [Stewart and Ezer] are going to have to step into the attack before those two can really work magic."

The Judges will look to rebound from Saturday's loss today on the road against Worcester Polytechnic Institute and then Saturday in nearby Wellesley against Babson College. The WPI Engineers are 1-1 after losing to Wentworth Tech 3-1 this weekend, while the Beavers are undefeated with four wins and one tie. The Beavers shutout Wentworth Tech in their opener and have been cruising offensively with 14 goals in five games.

While the offense has been decent for the Judges, the defense continues to be a weak point and the goalie situation remains unsolved. Veteran Pat Madridakis '06 started in the season opener, but did not play last week as Coven experimented with both Knoll and with Matt Kaplan '05.

"We need to close the gap between our midfield and our defense," Jorge said. "We need to solidify that area."

"It's too early to decide on a goalie, but [Knoll] will play against Babson," Coven said. "[Knoll] is a good goal keeper and he's playing well. He has a good presence in the box and he's out there playing with composure. But that doesn't mean [Madridakis] or [Kaplan] won't come in next game.