The Brandeis men's and women's soccer teams made history this year by both making the NCAA Division III Tournament.

Last Tuesday, though, proved to be yet another monumental day for both squads. On that day, midfielder Sam Ocel '13 and forward Dara Spital '15 were named to the National Soccer Coaches Association of America Division III All-American teams.

"I'm so happy for [Ocel]," said men's head coach Michael Coven, who himself was named NSCAA New England Division III Coach of the Year. "I think he'll be the first to tell you that his award, though it recognizes him, wouldn't have been possible without the team. If it wasn't for [forward Lee Russo '13], who was Sam's strike partner, Sam might not have received this great honor."

As a first-year, Ocel scored two goals and dished out a team-high four assists. After being sidelined as a sophomore, he came into his own as a junior, scoring eight goals and producing seven assists, second to Russo in terms of goals and second in the assists category to midfielder Theo Terris '12.
This year, though, he would have no peer.

Ocel opened his scoring account in a 4-0 win over Keene State College on Sept. 2, burying a free kick from 24 yards before netting a second later in the game. He headed home the winner in a memorable 2-1 double-overtime victory over rival Babson College on Sept. 19. His next goal was the first in a crucial 2-0 home win over Case Western Reserve University, his first in University Athletic Association play. His prowess for scoring in tough UAA matchups continued with strikes in victories over Washington University in St. Louis, Emory University and New York University.

Then, in the NCAA Division III Tournament, Ocel buried all three of the Judges' goals, netting twice in a 2-0 win over Baruch College. Arguably, though, he scored the biggest goal of his career in the second round against Vassar College, where he headed home a cross from Russo with 29.4 seconds left to give the Judges the dramatic win.

After the end of a storied season, Ocel scored 13 goals (nine of which were game-winners), had eight assists and was named as First Team All-UAA and UAA MVP. "He scored big goals," said Coven of Ocel. "He's at the right place at the right time. He's fearless. [In scoring the winner against Vassar], he threw his face in front of the ball. He's not afraid to go through traffic, to stick his head into the middle of the mixer. He will sacrifice his body. As a striker, you've got to have a nose for the goal, you have to be fearless. He has such courage in the 18-yard box."

Spital was also humbled to receive the honor, deflecting the accolade toward her teammates. "I'm thrilled," she said. "I'm really happy because our team worked so hard this year. I always have high expectations for myself, but I couldn't have imagined that we would have had the success that we had this year."

A transfer from NCAA Division I University of Central Florida, Spital came to Brandeis after a freshman campaign in which she had one assist. She made a massive impact right from the beginning, scoring the lone goal in a win over the Massachusetts Institute of Technology. Spital then provided big goals in 1-0 wins over Gordon College, Bates College and the University of Rochester.

She proved her penchant for the clutch in a must-win clash against New York University on Nov. 3, scoring twice in a 3-0 victory that arguably resulted in the Judges' bid to the NCAA Division III Tournament. In the tournament, she provided an assist in a second-round win over Lasell College before burying two goals against SUNY Cortland.

In addition to scoring 14 goals, Spital was also able to help out her teammates, dishing out five assists. She was named First Team All-UAA.

"Dara came in great physical shape and brought an extremely strong work ethic," said women's head coach Denise Dallamora. "Her attitude toward the game and her teammates was always positive.  She also has a brilliant shot. I expect her to improve as a player and keep having a strong influence on her teammates' work ethics and attitudes and score a lot of goals."

While happy with the season that just passed, Spital is already looking forward to next year.

"Obviously we lose a couple of great players [in goalkeeper Francine Kofinas '13 and midfielder Zoe Siegel '13] but we return a lot," she said. "I have high expectations for the team next year to do as well as or better than [this] next year."
Ocel could not be reached for comment by press time.

Though the next season is still many months away, both of these individuals-and their respective teams-had seasons to remember this year.