The No. 3 men’s soccer team entered last night’s game against Mount Ida College fresh off a pair of hard-fought 1-0 victories over University Athletic Association opponents on Oct. 17th and 19th. The Judges were looking for an easy win during a break from UAA play and got just that, cruising to a 5-0 victory in their final home game of the season on Gordon Field.

The Judges improve to 15-1 on the season, matching their best ever record after 16 games.

In the midst of a tough UAA schedule—the average UAA opponent has a winning percentage of .660 percent—the team knew it had to remain focused on the task at hand and not get caught focused on upcoming games.

The Judges scored four times in the opening 45 minutes, including three times in a six-minute span that put the game away for good before it even reached halftime. 

“We’ve been talking about this for the past two or three days, that every game counts,” said coach Michael Coven. “You take [games] one at a time.”

The senior class heavily populated the Judges’ starting lineup, producing seven of the team’s 11 starters, and rewarded Coven’s team selection by netting the first goal of the game fewer than 20 minutes into the contest.

In the 17th minute, midfielder Andrew Bennie ’15 collected the ball off a turnover and stepped up to the top of the 18-yard box. With multiple teammates charging toward the net and calling for the ball, Bennie elected to shoot instead, rocketing a shot into the upper part of the net for his first collegiate goal and a 1-0 Judges’ lead. The goal sent the Judges’ bench into an eruption of cheers, as he has only made appearances in three games this year and has only attempted five shots in his collegiate career, including two on Monday night.

The Judges spent the next 10 minutes deep in the attacking third of the field, anchored by creative passes through the middle and shots that just missed their target. 

The Judges got off three shots in the 10 minutes following the goal and controlled the ball the entire time even as Coven elected to return some regular starters in lieu of the seniors.

The Judges nearly struck again in the 23rd minute when midfielder Brandon Miskin ’18 forced Mount Ida senior goalkeeper Mat Pils to make a terrific diving save. Miskin, who was all alone in front of the goalkeeper, tried to slot the ball into the bottom right corner but could not get it past the diving Pils to double the Judges’ lead.

However, just five minutes later, the Judges went on a scoring barrage that put the game far out of the reach of the visitors.

In the 28th minute, forward Tyler Savonen ’15 netted his ninth goal of the season off a header to increase the Judges’ lead to 2-0. After the squad won a corner, midfielder Josh Ocel ’17 swung the ball in from the left corner, where it found Savonen and had to be picked out of the back of the net by Pils. 

The Judges continued their offensive pressure, earning another corner kick just 74 seconds later and converted when Miskin’s attempt from the left corner bounced off a Mount Ida defender and into the back of the net. The own-goal gave Brandeis a 3-0 lead, but the squad was not done scoring.

In the 33rd minute, forward Chris Bradley ’16 capitalized on an error by Pils to push the lead to 4-0 and put the game away. On a counterattack, the Judges sent a high bouncing ball toward the top of the 18-yard box that Pils charged and attempted to play. While the goalkeeper misplayed the ball, Bradley tapped it in behind him for an easy goal, his first on the season. 

“[The goal] felt great; it was a huge load off my back,” said Bradley. “The guys have been getting on me a little bit about scoring, but [I] finally got one. It’s a great feeling.”

 The squad entered the halftime break with a 4-0 advantage, but could easily have scored more, holding a 20-2 shot advantage in the half. The Judges had a 27-4 shot advantage by the time the final whistle was blown.

Bradley added a second goal in the 81st minute, when he dribbled along the end line, beat his defender and chipped the ball over Pils to give Brandeis the 5-0 final. 

The squad played relatively conservatively in the second half, not in need of anything but an injury-free 45 minutes.

Goalkeeper Joe Graffy ’15 saved the only shot on goal he faced to pick up his 15th win on the season.

“There’s no way I could have done that without my teammates,” Bradley said. 

“They’ve been encouraging me from day one, supported me, and they keep telling me that when you get your opportunity, you have to take advantage of it.”

 The Judges return to action on Friday night in a UAA contest at Washington University in St. Louis before traveling to Chicago to take on the University of Chicago on Sunday afternoon.