After a recent rough stretch in which the team lost four straight games, the men's soccer team bounced back, defeating Springfield College last Wednesday 3-1 to improve to 5-8-1 on the season. For the Judges, it was their first and only win on their season-high four-game road trip.

The Judges struck first when forward Alexander Farr '12 put in David McCoy's '12 shot.

Despite a sprawling save from senior goalie Chris Walton, Walton could not stop Farr's point-blank shot.

Farr, who leads the team with seven goals, noted that the ball came to him at the ideal place.

"I was just in the right place at the right time," Farr said. "The ball bounced around in the block, and it just happened to find my foot on the 4-yard line," he added.

In the second half, midfielder Luke Teece '12 put the Judges up 2-0 on a breakaway steal. Teece intercepted a pass in Pride territory in the 59th minute and placed his shot just inside the right post.

"We knew coming in that their backs liked to pass it around, so our game plan was to pressure them," coach Mike Coven said.

For Teece, it was the first goal of his career after what looked to be a promising rookie season last year. Teece got off to a hot start last season, picking up two assists in the team's 5-0 opening victory over Endicott College Aug. 28, 2008. He would slow down, however, recording only one assist and zero goals in the team's remaining games, while also missing a game after suffering a mild concussion midway through the season.

Despite his struggles to get on the score sheet, Coven noted Teece's special skill set that enabled him to register his first goal last Wednesday.

"They were passing it around and [Teece], with his terrific speed, broke it up and finished the play off nicely," Coven added.

The Judges struck again 5 minutes later as Kyle Gross '11 headed in a Corey Bradley '10 cross. It was Gross' first goal of the season.

In the 72nd minute, Springfield senior forward John Plourd bounced a shot past goalie Matt Lynch '11 to cut the Brandeis lead down to two.

Springfield would draw no closer though, as Lynch saved the team's other four shots on target. Springfield dropped to 4-11-1 for the season.

In the game, the Judges outshot the Pride 17-13. Despite the win, Brandeis lost time of possession battle to Springfield, and the team was caught offsides 11 times to the Pride's zero.

Farr was impressed with how Springfield's defense drew Brandeis offside over the course of the game.

"They set a high offside trap and did a great job of it," said Farr.

Farr also felt that the team's counterattack was what allowed the Judges to pull away.

"We were able to get the ball up the field quickly, which allowed us to break their trap and gave us some great opportunities," he said.

The team concludes its season with four straight home games, starting tonight against Lasell College at 7 p.m.

They then play three straight University Athletic Association opponents in Washington University in St. Louis, the University of Chicago and New York University. The team will battle WashU Friday night at 5 p.m. and Chicago Sunday afternoon at 1:30 p.m.

With four games remaining, the Judges will have to win at least three to be eligible for a postseason berth in the Eastern College Athletic Conference tournament, which requires a .500 record for eligibility.

Farr expressed a positive attitude about the team's chances in reaching the postseason this year.

"Everyone on the team is pretty confident that we can win the next four games," he said.

Last season, the Judges sat at .500 entering their season finale against NYU but lost 2-0 and missed the postseason.

This season, the Judges are 1-3 in conference games and have a home record of 2-3.

With the team's struggles in recent history and thoughout this season, Coven recognized that a chance at postseason play would be a significant accomplishment.

"If we win those four [games], it will have been a very successful season," Coven said.