BABSON PARK, Mass.—Brandeis University scored a pair of goals just over four minutes apart late in the first half on its way to defeating Saint Joseph's College, 3-0, in an NCAA Tournament Second Round match on Sunday afternoon at Hartwell-Rogers Field on the campus of Babson College.
With the win, Brandeis (12-5-3) advances to the second weekend of the NCAA Tournament for the fifth year in a row. Saint Joseph's, which was unbeaten in 20 straight games entering the day, sees its season come to a close at 16-2-5.
Senior Mike Lynch (Weymouth, Mass.), classmate Thales Brito (Malden, Mass.) and junior Patrick Flahive (Chatham, Ill.) all scored for the Judges, who also got assists from senior Zach Vieira (Andover, Mass.) and junior Marino Espiga (Winchester, Mass.). Junior Ben Woodhouse (Suffield, Conn.) made three saves to earn his 12th victory of the season.
Sophomore Blake Mullen (Manchester, Conn.) finished with two saves for the Monks, who were outshot 12-8 on the day.
Brandeis took the lead in the 31st minute on a diving header by Lynch after Mullen had punched away Espiga's 25-yard blast. Brito extended the advantage with his third goal of the year, drilling home a shot from the center of the box following a corner kick by senior Josh Ocel (North Attleboro, Mass.).
The Judges tacked on another insurance goal a little more than seven minutes into the second half when Flahive converted a centering feed from Vieira for his third marker of the year to make it 3-0.
Brandeis will face Amherst in a sectional semifinal match next Saturday. The time and location of the match has yet to be determined.
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Saint Joseph's College is Maine's only Catholic liberal arts college, providing a supportive, personalized and career-focused education for more than 100 years. From its 474-acre campus on the shores of Sebago Lake, the College offers more than 40 undergraduate programs to a population of approximately 1,000 students. Saint Joseph's College Online provides certificates, undergraduate and advanced degrees for working adults through an online learning program. For more, visit www.sjcme.edu.
