While popular throughout the world, soccer has often been criticized by Americans for its low-scoring nature.

By beating Vassar College 1-0 in the second round of the NCAA Division III Tournament last Sunday night, the No. 17 men's soccer team proved that even a low-scoring game could be exciting.

Midfielder Sam Ocel '13 headed home the winning goal with 29.4 seconds left to give the Judges a 1-0 victory in a thrilling game with 34 shots, two disallowed goals, two goal line clearances and two shots that hit the crossbar or post.

"I don't really know what to say about it right now," said an ecstatic Ocel. "Best feeling in the world."

"I'd be hard-pressed to say there's a team I've enjoyed more than this one," said head coach Mike Coven. "I'm very happy for them. This team is real special."

The road to the second round

Having received an at-large bid to the NCAA Division III Tournament-its first in 27 years-the Judges hosted the first and second rounds by virtue of its 16-2-1 regular season mark and rank as No. 17 rank in Division III by the National Soccer Coaches Association of America.

The Judges reached the second round by virtue of their 2-0 victory over Baruch College last Saturday night. That match saw Ocel score two early goals and the Judges defense hold firm the rest of the way.

Vassar advanced by defeating Tufts University 1-0 in double overtime. In that game, Vassar senior back Zander Mrlik scored a penalty kick in the 102nd minute after Tufts junior defender Luke Booth fouled Vassar senior Dante Varotsis in the penalty box.

A dramatic victory

Given the Judges' propensity to attack this season, it was no surprise that they outshot the Brewers 6-0 in the first 10 minutes of the game.

However, Vassar almost took the lead in the 20th minute. Mrlik-whose aerial presence caused the Judges problems on set pieces-sent a header on net that looked destined for the right corner. However, Judges defender Matt Brondoli '14 headed the ball off the line.

"I think we've come a long way," said Brondoli of his center back partnership with fellow defender Joe Eisenbies '13. "At the beginning of the season, we both didn't really know what we were doing. The partnership that we have has helped a lot."

The Brewers looked as if they had taken the lead with two minutes, 48 seconds left in the first half. Freshman defender Nick Hess took a long throw from the left flank. Mrlik-whose head was the focal point of Vassar's attack-flicked on the ball, which was headed in past Judges' goalkeeper Blake Minchoff '13 by junior midfielder Juliano Pereria. However, the linesman's flag negated the effort.

Three minutes into the second half, Feather had a goal disallowed for offside after finishing a rebound of a shot from forward Lee Russo '13 that hit the post.

Feather then made contributions on both offense and defense. First, he headed a shot off of underside of the bar in the 62nd minute, which looked as if it might have crossed the line. However, the officials ruled that, despite the nature of the deflection, the ball had not crossed the line.

Then, with five minutes, 10 seconds left, he made a key defensive play. After Vassar cleared a Brandeis corner kick, the Brewers went on a fast break and won a corner of their own. From the service, Mrlik got his head to the ball and sent his goal-bound effort that looked as if it was going into the net with Minchoff beaten. However, Feather headed the ball off of the line and away from the goal, resulting in a raucous applause from the crowd.

The telling play was nothing short of dramatic. With seconds left in regulation, the Judges launched one final attack to try to win the game in regulation. Right back Robbie Lynch '15 sent a ball down the right flank to Russo. Dribbling past his defender, Russo crossed the ball into the middle, where Ocel sent a diving header past Grimme, sending the crowd into bedlam.

The two players were tied with 12 goals and eight assists before the game. They now each lead in unique statistical categories, as Ocel has 13 goals and Russo has nine assists.
"Out of the corner of my eye I saw [Ocel], and he was unmarked for whatever reason," said Russo. "I tried to put it in his area and he made a really nice finish."

The first round

Hosting its first NCAA game since 1985, the Judges came flying out of the gates, as Ocel scored in the 5th minute to give the Judges the lead.

The game's second goal came in the 13th minute. Russo sent a left-footed curling shot towards the top right-hand corner from the left. Though the shot was headed in, Ocel slammed the ball into the net to double the Judges' advantage.

From there, the squad rode defensive solidity and the stellar goalkeeping of Minchoff-who saved efforts from senior midfielder Akil George and freshman forward Oren Koslowski-en route to the 2-0 victory.

The next step

Brandeis will play No. 9 Williams College on Saturday in the Sweet Sixteen at Amherst College. If they win, they will face either No. 19 Swarthmore College or No. 2 Amherst on Sunday.

Regardless of the team's result next weekend, Coven took a moment to thank his team's fans, particularly "Coven's Corner," a fan section established this year by Jesse Link '13 and Dylan Britton '13.

"We've been all over the country; [University Athletic Association] schools, New England schools. Nobody has better fans than we do," Coven said. "Our fans give us a little adrenaline rush. Our fans are great. What they've done this year and the way that they've come out and supported us, it's great for the school.

"It shows that Brandeis has school spirit."
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