Men's Soccer: Squad draws, loses games in overtime
The men's soccer team moved to 1-2-1 in University Athletic Association play following a 1-0 overtime loss last Friday to Carnegie Mellon University and a 1-1 draw against Emory University last Sunday. After 2 minutes and 30 seconds, midfielder Luke Teece '12 scored for the Judges in Sunday's contest against the Eagles, who converted a second-half penalty kick to score.Emory entered Sunday's match ranked No. 9 after allowing just three goals all season. However, after an uncharacteristic error by the Eagles, the Judges opened up the scoring. In the 3rd minute, Teece intercepted sophomore defender Alex Scott's pass back to junior goalkeeper Trenton Spindler. Teece chipped the ball over the goalkeeper's head for his team-leading eighth goal of the season, the fourth the Eagles let in all season.
"The scouting report said that their defenders like to play it around the back and I was fortunate enough to hear the keeper calling back, for the ball," said Teece. "Their defender had no idea where it was, so I just capitalized on a miscommunication. I walked it in."
The Eagles nearly found a response to Teece's strike just 4 minutes later through junior midfielder Zack Samuels, who headed a shot past goalkeeper Taylor Bracken '11, but had his effort cleared off the line by defender Matt Hohmann '11.
The duration of the first half consisted off a midfield battle for both teams, though Brandeis tested Emory's defense with a line-drive shot by midfielder Joe Eisenbies '13 that flew over the crossbar in the 44th minute.
Emory sophomore forward Nao Masuda's second-half performance changed the match and gave the Falcons chances in front of Brandeis' goal. In the 51st minute, Masuda slid onto a ball in the penalty area that Bracken was forced to parry away for a corner kick.
Then, in the 65th minute, referee Alp Gulden awarded Emory a penalty kick after Masuda took on the Judges' defense in the penalty area and was tripped. Howard converted the penalty kick by slotting a low drive into the left corner of the net past Bracken, who dove the other way.
Bracken and the Brandeis defense protested Gulden's decision to award Emory a penalty kick on behalf of Masuda being fouled because he had failed to give the Judges a penalty kick moments before.
Gulden waved play to continue in the 56th minute after midfielder Steve Keuchkarian '11 was fouled in the penalty area.
"I tried to approach the referee, but he kept waving me off," Bracken said of the penalty-kick incident. "I just kept telling him to call both ways. [Keuchkarian] gets taken down, and this guy just kind of trips over a foot that was just there. I think it was a dive made to look like a foul."
The Judges attempted to find a go-ahead goal immediately after conceding the leveling goal from Emory. Coach Michael Coven's decision to substitute forward Alexander Farr '12 for Keuchkarian almost paid off after Farr nearly set up Teece's second goal. On a counterattack in the 72nd minute, Farr took hold of possession and crossed to Teece, who was wide open in the penalty area but could not direct his header on target.
In the 80th minute, Brandeis nearly found a go-ahead goal again when a give-and-go between midfielder Evan Ersing '12 and defender/midfielder Kyle Gross '11. Ersing received possession on the edge of the penalty area and fired to the near post, but his effort was caught by Spindler.
Emory came close to ending the need for overtime in the 88th minute when Masuda took hold of the ball in the penalty area and faced goal from point-blank range. Masuda fired a shot on frame, but defender Ben Applefield '14 deflected the effort out of danger to force two golden goal overtime periods.
Brandeis survived two scoreless overtime periods and emerged with a draw, despite having a brief scare while defending in the second overtime.
In the 110th minute, Masuda sent a cross into the penalty area that connected with the head of defender sophomore defender Andrew Natalino. Natalino's header just missed the lower corner.
Last Friday, the Judges played another overtime match against Carnegie Melon, which they lost 1-0.
Brandeis let up off a corner kick in the 93rd minute of the first overtime period. Sophomore midfielder Moni Sallam connected with a free header and powered the effort past Bracken for the game's decisive goal.
"We've been having a little trouble on set pieces recently," finished Bracken. "When we can keep it in the flow of play, we're definitely very strong in the back."
The team next plays Springfield College Wednesday at 4 p.m.
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