WALTHAM, MA- Behind a pair of first-half assists during a 4:25
span from junior Josh Solomon (Acton, MA/Acton-Boxboro
Regional), the Wheaton College men's soccer team extended
its unbeaten streak against Brandeis University to 14 games as the
Lyons blanked the host Judges, 3-0 on Saturday under the lights of
Gordon Field.
Receiving national votes and ranked fourth regionally by the
National Soccer Coaches Association of America (NSCAA), Wheaton
improved to 9-1-1 while staying perfect on the road at 5-0.
The Lyons are 13-0-1 in their last 14 meetings with Brandeis and
won by more than one goal in Waltham for the first time. The
Judges fell to 1-4-1.
Solomon assisted senior Adam Sussman (Swampcott,
MA/Swampscott) and sophomore Pablo Mena (San
Salvador, El Salvador/American School of El Salvador) in
the 27th and 31st minutes, respectively, while junior Yuri Moreira (Marlboro, MA/Northfield Mount Hermon School)
scored with seven ticks on the clock thanks to a long throw-in from
classmate Jake Wagner (Sudbury, MA/Lincoln-Sudbury
Regional).
Junior goalie Cole Davidson (Needham, MA/Salisbury
School) notched a season-high six saves, including five in
the second half, to pick up his fourth shutout of the season.
He improved to 6-1-1 while lowering his goals against average to
0.76. Wheaton held a 15-9 advantage in shots, while Brandeis
took four of the game's six corner kicks.
The Lyons received all the scoring they would need when Solomon
served a free kick from just outside the box to Sussman, who sent
it home at 26:08 of the first half. Solomon also had a hand
in Wheaton's second tally, feeding Mena toward the sideline.
Mena dribbled to the middle of the field and delivered a strike
from 20 yards out at 30:33.
Trailing 2-0 approaching the midway point of the second half,
Brandeis had back-to-back scoring opportunities off a free kick,
but Davidson denied the initial shot on a nice diving save before
recovering in time to corral the rebound by another Judge
player.
Davidson also stopped a strong Brandeis chance in the 86th
minute on a corner kick before the Judge keeper turned away Moreira
in the 87th minute. Moreira eventually broke into the scoring
column with a header and his team-leading 11th goal of the
fall. Upping his career tally to 30, Moreira became just the
sixth player in program history to reach the 30-goal plateau.
Wheaton begins a three-game homestand on Tuesday when it
welcomes non-league foe Wesleyan University to Keefe Field for a
4:00 p.m. start.
