Both the Brandeis men’s and women’s soccer teams played conference games against the Case Western Reserve University Spartans last Sunday, Nov 3. The men’s team won 2-1 — their second-straight conference win after defeating Rochester University 3-2 the week before. The women’s team tied the Spartans 1-1. Their equalizing goal came from Dominique Paglia ’25 in the 25th minute off a shot just outside the goalie box. It was her first goal of the year and the third of her career. Case Western should have had more momentum in the second half, as they were playing the end of the game with an additional player after an 86th-minute red card against the Judges, but they were ultimately unable to capitalize. Keeper Rachel Ross M’25 kept the Judges tied with six saves, her third highest mark of the season. With the tie, the women’s team moves to 9-6-1 and 0-5-1 in conference play. Heading into their final game, Rachel Walter ’25 leads the team with 20 points based on total assists recorded and goals scored with eight and six, respectively. Tanvi Raju ’27 holds the high mark for goals scored with seven. 

Case Western took an early lead in their game against the men’s team as well with a 26th-minute goal to make it 1-0, but Nico Beninda ’26 tied the game in the 33rd minute. This was his fifth goal of the season. The teams traded shots for the rest of the half, but neither had an advantage. In the second half, the Judges pressured the Spartans and tightened up on defense, recording five shots on goal to Case Western’s two. In the 82nd minute, a shot by Kaden Collins ’28 off a corner kick was denied, but the Judges kept possession. An 84th minute chance from Elan Romo ’26 was barely saved, but Maddox Yu ’27 scored off the rebound to push the Judges ahead 2-1, a lead they’d keep until the whistle sounded. Yu now has three goals this season, all of which have come in the team’s last four games. The men’s team improved to 8-5-2, their best record since 2019, and are still in the running for the UAA title. Beninda ends the game as the team’s leading goal scorer of the season. Yu and Eli Mones ’25 are tied for second with three. 

Both teams will conclude their seasons with home games versus New York University this Saturday, Nov 9. The men’s team is 21-13-2 against NYU all-time, but they split their meeting last season 3-3. The women’s team is 18-7-4 all-time versus NYU.