The men’s soccer team has pushed its winning streak to two games after a nail biting 1-0 victory over Clark University on Wednesday, the Judges’ only action of the week. The victory is a great sign for the team, as it indicates the squad may finally be emerging from a slump of epic proportions. The Judges hope to ride this wave of momentum en route to a National Collegiate Athletic Association tournament berth.

The Judges came out determined to hand Clark its first non-conference defeat of the season on Wednesday, and stifling defense mixed with a balanced offensive attack allowed them to do just that. The two teams played a relatively unexciting first half, combining for all of zero goals and very little action.

It was not until the 76th minute that the Judges were able to cook something up on offense. Following a Clark foul on star midfielder Josh Ocel ’17, the Judges had a chance to take the lead with a penalty kick. After Ocel’s attempt was batted away by junior goalie Connor Maguire, Judges forward Mike Lynch ’17 found himself perfectly positioned to clean up the mess. Lynch rocketed the rebound in for his first goal of the season, and his first since 2013. The timing could not have been better for Lynch, a key role player whose increased performance could help the Judges make the leap into the postseason.

Other than Lynch’s goal, the Judges offensive woes continued, as the squad failed to capitalize on a 25-10 attempted-shots advantage. Goalie Ben Woodhouse ’18 had an outstanding day on the turf, coming up with a critical second half stop en route to the 13th shutout of his career.

The victory brings the Judges to 7-4-3 on the season. The loss drops Clark to 12-3-0.