Brandeis rolls to 8-0 win, ECAC soccer title

Judges win second straight Div. III championship, ending season 15-5-1

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The top-seeded Brandeis University men's soccer team successfully defended its Eastern College Athletic Conference (ECAC) Division III New England tournament title today, cruising by second-seeded Albertus Magnus College, 8-0, on Gordon Field.

The Judges finished their season with a 15-5-1 record, including three straight shutout victories in the tournament.  AMC finished 17-4-1.

Junior central defensive midfielder Joe Eisenbies was named the tournament's Most Valuable Player. Eisenbies led a tremendous team defensive effort, holding Brandeis' three opponents in the tournament to a total of nine shots. In all, the Judges outshot their opponents by a 93-9 margin, including 30-4 in today’s championship matchup.

Eisenbies helped the Judges set a new school record of 13 shutouts in 21 games this season – all but two of the season’s 15-win total. Goalkeeper Blake Minchoff, a junior, had 12 of the shutouts, two shy of the school record.

Offensively, the Judges were balanced in their scoring in the championship game,  with seven different players scoring goals, and five players accounting for 10 assists. The only multiple-goal scorer on the afternoon was senior forward Steve Keuchkarian, who notched what proved to be the game-winning goal just 7:03 into the contest when he bent a ball from deep along right sideline into the far left corner of the net. Classmate Theo Terris assisted on the play, one of his team-high three on the afternoon. Terris finishes the season as team leader in assists with eight.

Two other players were involved in three goals today: Senior forward Alexander Farr and junior Lee Russo each had a goal and two assists. They became the 20th and 21st players in school history with 50 career points. Farr finished his career in 19th place on the list with 23 goals and six assists for 52 points, while Russo will enter his senior season tied for 20th with 20 goals and 10 assists for 50 points. One of the players they passed today was Albertus Magnus associate head coach and Brandeis Hall of Famer Frank Raio '84, who had 49 points.

Other offensive highlights for the Judges included a goal and an assist by junior forward Sam Ocel , two assists by sophomore back Ben Applefield and the first career goal by senior back David McCoy, in the 64th minute.

Brandeis coach Mike Coven, in his 39th season, guided the team to the Judges’ fourth ECAC crown. Previous titles were won in 1994, 2006 and 2010. The team has won nine-straight ECAC tournament contests, dating back to that 2006 crown. The 15 wins by the team this season are the most by a Brandeis men's soccer team since 1997.

Albertus Magnus closes out the best season in its school history with a 17-4-1 record. The Falcons put two shots on goal against Minchoff, one each by rookie Linsley Barrett and senior Jamal Howard. Sophomore Donato Pirscafo made 10 saves and played the entire 90 minutes in goal for AMC.