Men's Soccer Plays to 1-1 Draw with Brandeis

BRIDGEWATER, Mass. -- The Bridgewater State University men's soccer team played visiting Brandeis University to a 1-1 draw on Tuesday night at Mazzaferro Field.

Both teams see their overall record go to 1-1-2 with the tie. The two teams were meeting for the first time since 2015. The Judges hold a 12-5-3 lead in the all-time series.

BSU sophomore midfielder Ryan Healy (Cork, Ireland) opened the scoring in the 29th minute with his first collegiate goal. Healy buried a close-range one-timer under the crossbar off a perfectly placed cross from senior forward David Nelson (East Bridgewater, Mass.). Nelson corralled a pass from freshman midfielder Tyler Chang (Acushnet, Mass.) on the left side, took on a defender one-on-one and sent a cross inside the six to an oncoming Healy.

The Judges had a few quality scoring opportunities in the second half. Sophomore midfielder Rainer Osselmann-Chai (Acton, Mass.) ripped a shot from 29 yards out that was knocked over the crossbar by leaping BSU graduate goalkeeper William Russell (Sandwich, Mass.) in the 55th minute. Senior forward Roee Maor (Demarest, N.J.) had an uncontested header attempt from the top of the six off a cross from sophomore midfielder Nico Beninda (Monroe Township, N.J.) in the 62nd minute, but his shot was well wide of the left post. In the 83rd minute, Russell made a terrific diving stop on a header attempt by senior forward Sancho Maroto Tobias (Acton, Mass.) that was labeled for inside the left post.

The Judges finally broke through on a header goal by Tobias with just 4:52 left to play. Freshman midfielder Juan Vera (Weston, Fla.) set up the scoring bid with a cross to the back post. Junior midfielder Christian Godinho (Leominster, Mass.) headed the ball on a bounce to an open Tobias who deposited his header attempt into the right side of the cage.

Russell kept the game knotted at 1-1 with a sprawled-out diving stop on a shot labeled for the left side of the net by sophomore forward Elan Romo (Weston, Fla.) with just under two minutes left to play.

BSU junior midfielder Nicolas Matias (Milford, Mass.) appeared to have scored the potential game-winning goal with 1:11 showing on the scoreboard after the Brandeis goalkeeper fanned on a clearing attempt. A hustling Nelson was able to collect the loose ball and slipped a pass over to a wide-open Matias who tapped the ball into the back of the unguarded net. The goal, however, was disallowed due to a questionable offside call.

Brandeis held a 20-11 shot advantage for the game as well as a 7-1 edge in corner kick attempts. There were nine cards issued in the game, six to the Bears and three to the Judges.

Russell finished with six saves on the evening with all six coming in the second half. Junior netminder Quintin Wrabley (Malvern, Pa.) turned aside four shots between the pipes for Brandeis.

In upcoming action, the Bears open Massachusetts State Collegiate Athletic Conference (MASCAC) play on Friday night as they host Worcester State University at seven o'clock. The Judges entertain Wesleyan University on Sunday afternoon at one.

Notes: With his assist, Nelson increased his scoring total to 53 career points as he tied Scott Floeck (1980-82) for 11th place on the Bears' all-time scoring list.