Last Wednesday, the No. 25 men’s soccer outlasted Worcester Polytechnic Institute in double overtime to earn a 1-0 win, pushing their record to 6-1 on the season.

Judges 1, WPI 0 (2OT)

The teams were evenly matched throughout the match. The Judges narrowly edged WPI in shots by a total of 14-13, but the Judges’ opportunities were much more dangerous, as they led in shots on goal by a total of 7-4. 

The first half started out rather evenly with WPI registering four shots to the Judges’ three. The Judges’ most promising chance in the first half came off of a late-corner kick in the 43rd minute. Defenseman Conor Lanahan ’16 got a header on net off a corner, and his header passed the WPI goalkeeper, but WPI back Riley Doherty saved the ball off the line. In the second half, the Judges took the lead in shots 8-5. 

Midway through the half, midfielder Chris Bradley ’16 nearly gave the Judges the lead in the 68th minute, but his shot clanked off the joint between the crossbar and the right post. The Engineers’ attack opened up in the 93rd minute, but their potential breakaway was thwarted by the assistant referee’s flag for offside. 

WPI had some chances, the most dangerous of which occurred in the 94th minute, when WPI junior midfielder Reese Peterson caught Judges goalkeeper Ben Woodhouse ’18 organizing his defense. 

Woodhouse recovered to make a diving save — his first of the night — in a key moment that kept the game scoreless for the time being. 

Two minutes later, midfielder Christian Hernandez ’18 anchored a defensive stop for the Judges that mantained the lead.

The first overtime was slanted in favor of WPI, leading in shots 4-2, all of which were shots on goal. 

The most lethal of shots, however, was by Hernandez, but once again, the Engineers’ Doherty saved the ball off the line. 

In the second overtime, the Judges took the lead early. The play originated on the right side of the pitch before Hernandez flicked it to Picard, who stashed the ball in the goal’s right netting. While the match was intense, it was not an overly physical affair. The Judges were aggressive, often causing the head referee to get involved, to the tune of 17 fouls, 13 of which were called on the Judges. Despite their aggression the Judges remained out of the danger of the referee’s book, unlike WPI. 

WPI had one yellow card, received by sophomore defender Anthony Vigliotta due to a sweeping tackle in the 57th minute.

The match was the third straight in which Picard notched the game winner for the Judges. About his role on the squad, Picard commented that “In past teams I have held a similar role as the one I have held my first 3 years here at Brandeis, and that is being more of a possession player.  Obviously, part of the reason we have had so many close games is because we are having some trouble scoring goals.  Offensively, it does not matter to me who scores the goals, as long as we score them as a team.  If this year it happens to be me who provides more of the goals than in the past, then so be it, as long as we are winning.”

His offensive prowess has ramped up this year with the added pressure, but he seems to always come up big in the big moments: He currently has nine career goals, five of which have been game-winners. Picard is tied for the University Athletic Association lead with three game-winners on the season. For his attacking finesse, Picard was recognized last week as the UAA’s Offensive Player of the Week. Wednesday’s game was only the 29th meeting between the Judges and the Engineers. 

The Judges have mostly dominated the series, leading it 26-12-1. Wednesday marked the third time in the past four campaigns in which the Judges gave WPI their first loss. The Judges are currently 6-1 on the season with the victor. 

The Judges’ focus now shifts to a key road match against the reigning National Collegiate Athletic Association of Division III Champions, the No. 1 Tufts University Jumbos. The Judges visit Medford, Mass. to play Tufts on Saturday at 2:30 p.m. Picard noted about the upcoming contest that “collectively as a team we may work harder defensively than we do offensively, not on purpose, but just naturally. I think if we can continue to emulate our defensive power against Tufts it should give us a great opportunity to win.”