The men’s soccer team had a solid bounce-back week after dropping a gut-wrenching 1-0 match against longtime rival and defending national champion Tufts University last weekend.

Judges 1, Case Western 0

The Judges finished their week with a matchup against the Case Western Reserve University Spartans. The squad hit the pitch primed for a tenacious match with its conference foes, coming out of the gates strong with a quick goal in the 4th minute. In a typically impressive offensive attack, midfielder Max Breiter ’20 delivered a silky smooth pass to star forward Patrick Flahive ’18, who proceeded to blast home a goal to draw first blood for the Judges. The goal is Flahive’s fourth in a season that is shaping up to be an impressive senior campaign for the veteran. 

Case Western was unable to break through the Judges’ stifling defense throughout the match, managing just one shot on-goal throughout the entirety of the game. The Spartans’ weak offensive showing allowed Judges coach Gabe Margolis to split time with his goalkeepers, with Ben Woodhouse ’18 and Greg Irwin ’20 each spending 45 minutes in-net. Though the Judges punched in a goal early, they were unable to add to their lead during the rest of the match. The squad managed nine shots on goal to give Spartans senior goalkeeper Calvin Boyle a busy afternoon, but were unable to net any attempts after Flahive’s strike. 

The victory brings the Judges to 7-2-0 and gives the squad its first conference win of the season. The loss drops the Spartans to 4-5-1 on the year and 0-1-0 in conference play. 

Judges 5, Wheaton 1

The Judges opened their week with a 5-1 shellacking of the Wheaton College Lyons. Wheaton struck first in the third minute when senior captain forward Amara Sessay converted on a free kick from the top of the box to give the Lyons a 1-0 lead. The Judges responded quickly, however, when forward Andrew Allen ’19 scored the equalizer off a Flahive assist just two minutes after Wheaton drew first blood. The Judges never looked back from there, scoring a barrage of goals throughout the rest of the match.

The team took the lead in the 15th minute when forward Mike Lynch ’18 took advantage of a fortunate rebound, blasting home the putback for a 2-1 lead. Midfielder Bernardo Ponte ’18 added to the Judges’ lead in the 26th minute, netting a beautiful goal off an assist from Breiter. The Judges were not finished after Ponte’s goal, tacking on another in the 59th minute in the form of a breakaway goal orchestrated by midfielder Dylan Hennessy ’20. The Judges scored their fifth and final goal of the match just one minute later when Allen took a similar breakaway to the house. Allen was assisted by star forward Josh Ocel ’18, whose 39 career assists has him second in program history. 

Though the match proved underwhelming in competitiveness, the coaching matchup was notable for several reasons. The Judges faced off against Mike Coven, the squad’s longtime coach and respected coaching legend, who came out of retirement to coach the Lyons when  his friend and former Wheaton coach  Matt Cushing passed away unexpectedly before the start of the regular season. What’s more, Judges coach Gabe Margolis, who was Coven’s assistant and associate head coach for 11 seasons, returned to his alma mater from which he graduated in 2005.

The victory brings the Judges to 6-2-0 on the season. The loss drops Wheaton to 3-4-2 on the year.

Looking ahead, the Judges host the Massachusetts Institute of Technology tonight at 7 p.m.