Box Score

Senior Branden Neal made the most of his final collegiate home game, tallying his team-best seventh goal in helping New York University defeat Brandeis University, 2-0, in a University Athletic Association (UAA) men's soccer contest played in a downpour at Manhattan College's Gaelic Park in Riverdale, NY.

Prior to the contest, Neal was honored along with senior classmates Adam Dhanens, Devin Freeman-Roche and Robert Keller.

Junior Brandon Hintz assisted on both goals for NYU (6-8-3, 1-6-0 UAA), which finished the season seventh in the UAA with three points, just ahead of Brandeis, which concluded its campaign 8-9-3 (0-5-2 UAA, two points).

Over the first 45 minutes, the Violets owned a 13-1 edge on shots, consistently keeping play in Brandeis' final third of the field.  Neal made NYU's persistence pay at 17:22, when he tapped home a cross that Hintz slotted from the endline.

"It was my final game, so it's a big deal," Neal said.  "And the win feels pretty nice even though it was a challening year.  As a forward, anytime you score a goal it's pretty special.  But being my final game, it means a lot."

Freshman Badr Bevaart added an insurance score at 80:52, volleying home a free kick Hintz struck from the endline after a foul by the Judges.

"Our forward line was very good today, Branden and Badr Bevaart," NYU head coach Joe Behan said.  "They were a constant threat to the backline.

All told, the Violets owned advantages on shots (22-9) and corner kicks (8-2).

Junior Marek Urbanski made five saves to preserve his sixth clean sheet of the season. 

Matt Lynch put aside seven shots in the loss for Brandeis.