If the men's soccer team could only put its chances away, it would have walked away from last Sunday's game against Washington University in St. Louis with its second University Athletic Association win of the season instead of a 2-0 loss.

The Judges outplayed the No. 8-ranked Bears for most of the match but couldn't score, while WashU picked up a late first-half goal from a defensive error, and put the game away in the 83rd minute after taking advantage of a Brandeis tactical switch that backfired. The team is now 8-4-1 overall and 1-2-1 in the UAA after defeating the University of Chicago 2-1 last Friday.

The Judges gave the Bears a difficult time at Gordon Field, firing nine shots on goal in response to just four from WashU. Even though they played just two days before, the Judges played a sharp passing game and did not look fatigued.

"We were really looking forward to this game and we knew it was going to be a big game, because they're ranked very high," said midfielder Kyle Feather '14. "We came out strong, we came out with high energy, but we just couldn't get a result. We outplayed them, but we just couldn't put the ball in the back of the net."

Of Brandeis' nine shots on goal, attacking midfielder Sam Ocel '13 had the most attempts, putting five shots on frame. Sophomore goalkeeper Jonathan Jebson made saves on all nine of Brandeis' attempts at goal, though Ocel came close to scoring twice on two snap headers that Jebson acrobatically parried away.

The Bears broke through against the run of play in the 39th minute, when senior Michael Chamberlain found the back of the net after senior Zach Hendrickson flicked on a corner kick from senior midfielder Cody Costakis. The goal marked the first time this season that the Judges conceded from a corner kick.

"They served it to the back post, and their guy won it and directed it across the face of goal," explained defender Ben Applefield '14. Someone was right there and managed to get a toe on it and poke it and it went in."

The Judges didn't get discouraged and pressed on, firing six second-half shots on Jebson's goal. Yet none of Brandeis' forwards provided an equalizer. In search of the tying goal, coach Mike Coven took off defender Robbie Lynch '15 for striker Tyler Savonen '15 in the final 10 minutes to add another attacking option.

In the 84th minute, the Bears capitalized on the weakened defense, intercepting the ball in midfield and launching a five-on-three breakaway. Senior forward Dylan Roman squared the ball to junior midfielder Zach Query, who finished easily past Blake Minchoff '13 to double the lead to 2-0.

"With 10 minutes left, I take out a back," explained Coven of the tactical switch. "They come in behind us and score. For us, 2-0, 1-0, it doesn't matter. A loss is a loss. So I've been playing with an extra forward late [in the game] trying to get the goal. It is going to leave us open for counterattack. It ended up coming down to a five-against-three break for them."

The Judges employ a balanced formation that focuses on strong defending with a four-man backline and a strong attack with three strikers. Thus, it was not an ideal situation when Coven was forced to remove a defender in place of another striker late in the game. He used the tactic, however, because the squad is lacking a striker with the finishing touch.

"There is absolutely an element of the game you can't teach," explained Coven. "For some of these guys it's just natural. They don't even think about it. They just end up in a position to score goals. It's something innate that allows them to be at the right place at the right time."

Brandeis has a talented group of strikers, but none of the team's current strikers compare to some of the goal scorers Brandeis has had in the past. Jeff Steinberg's '87 61 career goals is the all-time scoring record for the school. His 23-goal season in 1984 not only helped the Judges to the NCAA Championship game, but also set another school record. The Judges are currently missing someone like Steinberg.

"You talk about someone like Jeff Steinberg. He never left the 18-yard box. He was average, just [five feet, eight inches] and okay in the air. But he would score with either foot. Certain people have that knack to be at the right place at the right time. He was a poacher. And we need a poacher."

Despite the loss to WashU, the Judges collected their first UAA win of the season with a 2-1 victory over Chicago last Friday.

Brandeis struck first in the match at the fourth minute. Forward Steve Keuchkarian '12 placed the ball perfectly into the box for Ocel, who then launched a shot right into the left corner of the net to give the Judges a 1-0 lead.

Chicago freshman midfielder Nick Codispotti leveled in the first half, sliding a ball past the outstretched hands of Minchoff to senior midfielder Alan Pikna. With Minchoff out of position, Pikna finished with a tap into the empty net to knot the match at 1-1.

Feather was able to score the game-winner midway through the second half. Applefield made a beautiful run down the left flank before making a perfect cross to Feather. Feather then slammed a shot past Chicago's goalkeeper to put the Judges up for good at 2-1.

"Defensively and in the middle third of the field, we're excellent," says Coven. "But up front we have to score. No one on the bench is a pure goal scorer. The guys we have are the best that we've got. Hopefully, the goals will start coming."

"This is a good group," Coven added. "They know that they're good. They want to win and they work hard. [Sunday] was a disappointment because we know we deserved to win."

The Judges have their next game against Springfield College tomorrow night. With a difficult schedule ahead, and with the Judges rolling into the final third of the season, the team will need to start putting away its opportunities.