Positioning in the final University Athletic Association (UAA) standings was on the line, but New York University's Men's Soccer Team fell to Brandeis University, 1-0, on Saturday, November 6 at Gaelic Park.
The Judges (6-7-3, 3-2-2) scored the match's lone goal early, as Jake Davis headed in a corner kick from Jared Panson in just the 10th minute.
Aggressive play followed with the Violets (10-5-1, 4-3-0) out-shooting Brandeis 10-4 in the opening half while leading 8-1 in corner kicks.
Brandeis' star keeper Aiden Guthro was up to the task, however, saving all four shots he saw on goal before the break.
NYU nearly found the equalizer in the 73rd minute as
Oliver Kleban (Denver, CO/Blind Brook) attempted a shot in the box off a perfect ball from
Arkan Tahsildaroglu (Istanbul, Turkey/Berkshire School (MA)), but Guthro was right there for the stop.
Back-to-back Violet corners in the 84th had them threatening again, but they couldn't find the back of the net and dropped their final game of the regular season.
Nathan Bennett (Wilton, CT/Wilton) and
Bryce Lexow (Rydal, PA/Abington Senior) led the Violets with three shots apiece while
Luca Mancuso (Miami, FL/Montverde Academy) recorded three saves.
Prior to the contest, NYU honored seniors Kleban,
Isaiah Boyd (Charlotte, NC/Mallard Creek),
Pablo Vargas (Weston, FL/Cypress Bay),
Nick Vafiadis (Englewood, NJ/Bergen Catholic) and
Louis Meeks (Ann Arbor, MI/Greenhills School) with a Senior Day ceremony.
The team now awaits the NCAA Championship selection show on Monday, November 8, with hopes of landing an at-large bid into the 2021 tournament.
