This Saturday, the University will host the first round of the NCAA Division III Tournament for the third consecutive year. Both the men’s and women’s soccer teams qualified for the tournament with a 17-2 record and 12-4-2 record, respectively. Each team ended its regular season at New York University on Saturday. The men won 1-0, while the women tied 0-0. This board congratulates both soccer teams on their successful seasons and wishes each team the best of luck as it heads into the tournament this upcoming weekend. 

The men qualified for the NCAA Tournament for the third year in a row, while the women have qualified three times in five years, based around each team’s strong defensive abilities. Women currently have the 21st-best defense in Division III with a .488 goals against average, while the men have the nation’s third-best defense, allowing just  .31 goals per game. The women have only let in nine goals this entire year, which beats the previous Brandeis record from 1990 by five goals. 

Both men’s coach Michael Coven and women’s coach Denise Dallamorra, who have been here for 42 and 35 years respectively, deserve much of the credit for the teams’ success and their contributions to Brandeis Athletics during their tenure here. In an Oct. 20 article, The Boston Globe featured Coven and Dallamorra for their work at Brandeis, including their designation as “the longest tenured pair of soccer coaches in collegiate history.” The pair have garnered “12 NCAA Tournament appearances, 23 ECAC appearances, and won six ECAC titles,” as well as coached 11 All-Americans, according to the Globe article. 

Athletics holds a significant place in the Brandeis community, allowing us to show off our school spirit and support for fellow students. Both soccer teams have seen consistent regular season records, bringing national recognition to the University on the athletic level.