After the men's soccer team surrendered a late goal to drop its season finale 2-1 to New York University Nov. 3, the four senior members of the men's soccer team hugged, sharing one last moment together as teammates."All the injuries, all the ups and downs we've gone through-we all did it together," David Weinstein '08 says.

Now, over a week later, Weinstein, Evan Duval '08, Brett Fitzgerald '08 and Joe Levitan '08 are still trying to cope with life after soccer. For the better part of 15 years, the last four here at Brandeis, the competitive soccer experience was a part of their daily routines.

"I acknowledge the fact that [my career] is over; I realize I won't play again, but I don't think it has truly hit me yet," Fitzgerald says. "The next day [after the finale] when I woke up, I was ready to go to practice."

For Levitan, who had suffered through playing with a herniated disc in his lower back through much of the season, the conclusion of his playing career at Brandeis was bittersweet.

"Each day that I feel better, I feel worse because I feel like I can play again, but know I'm not going to," he said.

The foursome has anchored the Brandeis soccer program over the past four seasons. They helped lead Brandeis to 36 wins during that span, including an Eastern College Athletic Conference tournament championship in 2006 and coach Mike Coven's 400th career victory last month, but Coven says they contributed far more to the program than their play on the field.

"I have two daughters but never had any sons," Coven says. "If I ever had any sons, I'd be perfectly happy to have them cut out of the same mold as any of these guys."

As first-years on campus in Fall, 2004, Duval, Fitzgerald, Levitan and Weinstein immediately bonded during preseason soccer practices. They particularly enjoyed spending time together on University Athletic Association conference road trips to Atlanta, Chicago, New York, Rochester, N.Y., and St. Louis.

But when Pittsburgh, site of UAA rival Carnegie Mellon University, was discussed, the group shared sarcastic laughter.

Perhaps their greatest off-field moments occurred during late-night poker games on road trips, in which all but Levitan participated. When asked about the stakes, however, they were quick to answer:

"[We play] for pride," Weinstein says. "And candy," Fitzgerald jokingly adds.

On the field, they have experienced the dramatic.

In addition to the 5-3 win over New England College in last fall's ECAC final, the four helped contribute to a 2-1 victory at New York University in the 2006 regular season finale-a win that took away the UAA regular-season title from the eventual NCAA Final Four-bound Violets.

These experiences have allowed them to share mutual respect for each other.

"They play with a lot of heart," Duval said. "A lot of other guys [on the team] aren't as mature and don't take it as seriously. I knew every day these guys would be at practice on time, not goofing around."

Coven said he was impressed with their professional attitude and passion for soccer throughout their careers.

"They led by example," he said. "They were four of the toughest kids we've had here; they would run through a wall to win a soccer game for Brandeis."

In addition to their leadership roles, they excelled physically on the field as well. With the offense struggling to score for much of the year, the defense of Fitzgerald, Levitan, and Weinstein-who made up three-quarters of the Judges' backline-kept the team competitive. For their efforts, Fitzgerald was a second-team all-UAA selection, while Weinstein was an honorable mention. Earlier, Levitan was named to ESPN The Magazine's academic All-District team. Meanwhile, Duval led the team in scoring with 14 points from his midfield position.

Most importantly, in an injury-plagued season for the Judges, Duval, Fitzgerald, Levitan and Weinstein were four of the most reliable players on a game-by-game basis, even though they would often play at less than 100 percent health.

"There's a difference between being injured and being hurt," Fitzgerald said. "When you're hurt, you just suck it up and play through it. When you're injured, you can't physically [play]. When you're borderline, that's when your heart and determination come through."

With all their aches and pains this season, the quartet did what they have always done: rely on each other.

"We wanted to play more for each other than ourselves," Weinstein said. "I look over and see [one of them] playing hurt, and I [know] I have to keep playing."

Although the team struggled this season to an 8-9-3 record and failed to make an NCAA Tournament in their four years on the team, Weinstein says in the long run, the lifelong friendships he formed with Duval, Levitan and Fitzgerald are more important than their individual successes or failures.

"When we're older, even if we had won a few more games, we're not really going to remember that difference," he says. "We're going to remember how much fun we had together as a team and as a class for four years.