After scoring just five minutes into the second half against the University of Rochester last Saturday, men's soccer forward Lee Russo '13 seemed to have put the Judges ahead for good in the team's first University Athletic Association contest of the year.

Even though the junior striker had seemingly written a nice ending to the game, his team's opponents had other ideas. Just four minutes, 19 seconds after Russo's go-ahead tally, YellowJacket freshman forward Alex Swanger knotted things up with a goal. Despite plenty of chances the rest of the way, the Judges failed to break through for the remainder of the match, as Rochester held Brandeis, who earlier in the week defeated Colby-Sawyer College and the Wentworth Institute of Technology by identical 4-0 margins, to a 1-1 draw. The team is now 6-2-1 on the year.

Despite early pressure from Rochester, it was Brandeis who almost took the lead at the 15-minute mark, as striker Sam Ocel '13 nailed the crossbar with a left-footed strike following a corner.

Though the Judges would have a couple more opportunities to get on the board toward the end of the half, the teams went into the break at a 0-0 stalemate.

With 50:17 gone, Brandeis grabbed the upper hand. As forward Steve Keuchkarian '12 sprinted down the right flank, Russo moved into the middle of the field. Keuchkarian sent a cross from the byline, which Russo buried to give the Judges a 1-0 advantage.

However, the Judges' lead would not last for long. Rochester senior midfielder Josh Richards sent a cross in to the waiting Swanger, who made no mistake in sending the ball home. Though the YellowJackets outshot their hosts 17-13 for the rest of the match, they were unable to notch the game-winner, as the match ended in a 1-1 tie.

"If you had told me before the season that we'd tie Rochester and be 6-2, I would have been okay with that," Russo said. "Obviously, we would've liked to have won, but no complaints."

"Rochester is a very, very good team," added coach Mike Coven. "They're probably going to be top-20 nationally ranked by the end of the season. It was a bittersweet game."

Last Wednesday afternoon, the Judges traveled to New Hampshire to face Colby-Sawyer. Though Brandeis outshot the host Chargers 12-5 in the first half, the seemingly elusive goal didn't arrive until there was 16:20 left. Forward Tyler Savonen '15 fed midfielder Theo Terris '12, who buried his effort to break the deadlock.

Savonen added a goal of his own less than five minutes later, notching an unassisted tally. Forward Tudor Livadru '14 and strike partner Alex Farr '12 killed the game off with strikes in the 84th minute. The two goals came a mere 40 seconds apart, capping the team's 4-0 win.

One day earlier, the Judges hosted Wentworth in a non-conference battle. Only 27 minutes into the match, the Judges were awarded an indirect free kick inside the penalty box after junior goalie John Longo illegally picked up a pass back to the keeper. Ocel tapped the ball to Terris, who nailed it home for the opening goal.

Terris, whom Russo said "really helps control the midfield," would turn from beneficiary to benefactor in the second half as he set up Ocel in the 56th minute. Ocel then added an assist of his own, directing a pass to forward Kyle Feather '14 three minutes later, who then put the game to bed. Farr would add an insurance goal with seven minutes left, finishing a feed from Savonen that resulted in the 4-0 decision.

The Judges will next look to end their 13-year long losing streak against Wheaton College when they travel to face the Lyons Wednesday at 4 p.m.

They travel to Case Western Reserve University on Sunday for their second UAA match of the young season.