After a tumultuous season, the men’s soccer team has survived to advance to the Sweet 16 of the NCAA Tournament after two weekend victories. The Judges defeated St. Joseph’s College of Maine 3-0 on Sunday after securing a 2-1 overtime victory against Western New England University on Saturday

To begin the season, the Judges flew out of the gate, winning their first three matches by a total of five goals. Yet, the Judges were not able to hang on to their beautiful start, failing to win in their next five games of the season and pushing double overtime in four of those five.

The Judges continued to struggle, posting another three double-overtime games for an anomalous seven double-overtime stints throughout the regular season.

However, the Judges were able to reverse course in the second half of October, winning five games to close out the month. The streak propelled the Judges from a measly 5-4-3 record to a playoff-worthy 10-4-3. The Judges tried to carry their momentum into their final game of the season against New York University but were unable to come away with a sixth win, losing in a shutout. The decisive match seemed to determine the Judges’ future, placing them in third place and seemingly out of reach of a playoff berth.

Yet the Judges were granted a well-deserved spot among the top Division III teams in the nation.

Going into the game on Saturday, the Judges seemed to have a slight edge over WNEU. WNEU held a record of 11-9-1 during their 2016 campaign, a few games under the Judges’ 10-5-3 record. The Judges also held an offensive advantage, defeating John Carroll University and Haverford College, two teams WNEU failed to even score against.

Brandeis 2, WNEU 1

The Judges outplayed WNEU in a nail-biting overtime win, 2-1. The Judges outshot the Bears 12-1 in the first half but could not produce a goal, a familiar obstacle for the Judges’ offense. Defender Stephen DePietto ’19 scored the first goal of the match and what seemed to be the go-ahead goal in the 68th minute. With only three minutes left in the game, the Bears went on an offensive attack, scoring the tying goal and pushing the game to overtime.

The Judges went into overtime eager for a taste of the second round and accustomed to the overtime period. Forward Zach Vieira ’17 managed to put the Judges through on a score from a beautiful pass from midfielder Josh Ocel ’17, three minutes into the period.

The Judges looked solid out on the playing field, outmatching the Bears 25-10 in shooting and an impressive 12-1 in corner kicks. 

The Judges were able to extend their season, facing off against St. Joseph’s College of Maine in the second round. 

Judges 3, St. Joseph’s 0

The Judges blew past the competition with one of their best performances of the entire season. 

In the 30th minute of play, forward Mike Lynch ’17 knocked in the ultimate game-winning goal. A mere four minutes later, defender Thales Brito ’17 tacked on one more goal for good measure. 

Seven minutes into the second half,  Vieira found the back of the net, with a usual assist from midfielder Patrick Flahive ’18, to seal the deal. 

Goalie Ben Woodhouse ’18 held three clutch saves on the day to help the Judges advance to the next round of the playoffs. 

The Judges will look to continue their brilliant playoff run in the Sweet 16 against Amherst College, which beat Daniel Webster College in a 3-0 rout in the second round. The Judges will need to carry their momentum to beat a tough Amherst squad and advance to the Elite 8 round of the playoffs.