This weekend, the Brandeis men's soccer team had an enormous challenge ahead of them: two road games against two difficult University Athletic Association opponents.

Though they lost to the University of Chicago on Friday in a tight 1-0 contest, the Judges bounced back Sunday with a 2-1 victory at Washington University in St. Louis.
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"Away matches are definitely tougher," said forward Tyler Savonen '15 before the team headed out on the road trip. "We haven't lost at home, and with Coven's Corner supporting our team, the atmosphere is in our favor [at home]." Coven's Corner is a notable section of raucous fans who have garnered national attention.
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In addition to the difficulty of playing two games on the road, both of the games were important UAA games. 
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"It was a good trip," said coach Michael Coven. "It would have been a great trip if we had won both games, but we bounced back well after losing the first game."
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The Judges, now 12-1-1 dominated the first half of Sunday's game, outshooting WashU 13-2. However neither team was able to score. Brandeis had several chances, including a shot off the post from midfielder Tudor Livadaru '14 and two shots from forward Sam Ocel '13.
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The beginning of the second half was an even matchup, with both teams fighting for possession of the ball. However, midfielder Kyle Feather '14 sent a flick to Ocel, who scored the first goal of the match, giving Brandeis a 1-0 lead in the 58th minute. The goal marked Ocel's 50th point in his career.
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Five minutes later Savonen sent in a well-placed cross to the far post, which forward Lee Russo '13 put in the back of the net for his 10th goal of the season. The goal marked point number 75 of Russo's career. 
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With just 1:39 left in regulation, WashU got on the scoreboard with a header from junior forward Jeremy Kirkwood, off a free kick from midfield taken by sophomore back Nik Patel. However, Brandeis was able to hold out for the next two minutes and come away with the victory. 
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It was the first time Brandeis defeated WashU since 2002. 
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"It's been a long time," said Coven of the historic victory. "WashU probably wasn't as good as Chicago was, but we were definitely happy to pick up the win because it's huge for our UAA standings."
The team suffered its first loss on Friday since Oct. 28, 2011, losing in a UAA game 1-0 to the University of Chicago. 
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The early minutes of the match were a back-and-forth kicking game, a type of game that Brandeis wanted to avoid, according to Savonen.
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"Our game is way more based on possession," said the forward of the Judges'  style. "We like keeping the ball on the ground and possession."
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With Brandeis playing out of their comfort zone, Chicago took advantage in the 21st minute when sophomore forward Kyle Kurfirst played a through-ball to first-year midfielder Jorge Bilbao, who took a shot from just outside the 18-yard box, just getting by the left side of netminder Blake Minchoff '13. The goal was Bilbao's eighth this season.
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"We made an unintelligent play, giving the ball away and letting them attack us," said Coven. "I told the guys that we can't keep allowing UAA teams to take chances against us because they will finish them.
"Against other teams in New England, you'll get nine or ten good chances to score. Against UAA teams, you'll be lucky to get five or six."
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Just two minutes later, Savonen unleashed an effort on goal that  Chicago freshman goalkeeper David Cohen saved. At the end of the half, Brandeis and Chicago each had seven shots, including two by Russo, which forced Cohen to make two consecutive saves.
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Minutes into the second half Chicago had a huge opportunity to go up 2-0 when a Maroons attacker was fouled inside the box, earning Chicago a penalty kick. Fortunately for Brandeis, Minchoff made a diving save to his left, keeping Brandeis in the game.
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The Judges had an opportunity to tie the game up, getting off three shots from Savonen, Russo and defender Ben Applefield '14. However, Cohen was there to make the three saves. After that, the Chicago defense took control and shut down Brandeis for the rest of the match, only allowing one shot in the final 30 minutes of the game.
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Coven underlined the importance of winning the WashU contest after losing to Chicago.
"The boys knew that if we lost two in a row we'd be on the outside looking in [in terms of receiving a bid]," he said. "But now, they're right back in it."
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Brandeis returns to non-conference matches tomorrow when they host Springfield College at 7 p.m.