Drew Takes On Brandeis In NCAA Sweet Sixteen

MADISON, N.J. – The Drew University men's soccer team defeated Franklin & Marshall and Lycoming last weekend to advance to the round of 16 in the NCAA Tournament for the third time in program history. The 12^th-ranked Rangers (21-0-1) will play their first Sweet Sixteen game since 2003 against No. 19 Brandeis (15-4-0) at 1:30 p.m. on Saturday from Tufts University's Bello Field. The winner moves on to face either defending National Champion Tufts (15-1-3) or Johns Hopkins (16-1-3) at 1 p.m. on Sunday for a place in the Final Four.

After beating Franklin & Marshall 3-2 in the first round, Drew posted a hard-fought 1-0 victory over No. 7 Lycoming in the second round. Benjamin Audi (Paramus, N.J.) scored the only goal of the game in the 75^th minute. Nate Race (Bridgewater, N.J.), meanwhile, recorded two tallies in the win over Franklin & Marshall. One of three remaining unbeaten teams, Drew enters this weekend on an 18-game winning streak, which is tied for the longest in the nation. The Rangers are also tied for the national lead in victories with a school-record 21.

Brandeis is in the Sweet Sixteen for the sixth consecutive season. The Judges opened the NCAA Tournament with a 3-0 victory over Western Connecticut State before knocking off Rutgers-Newark 1-0 in the second round, with Mike Lynch scoring the only goal in the 67^th minute. Lynch leads the team with six goals this season. Andrew Allen and Patrick Flahive have tallied five goals apiece, while Josh Ocel has distributed 10 assists. Ben Woodhouse (11-3-0) posted shutouts in both Brandeis wins last weekend, his fourth and fifth of the season.

Third-ranked Tufts received a first-round bye, then advanced on penalty kicks after playing to a 0-0 tie with Saint Joseph's (Maine). Dexter Eichhorst scored the clinching penalty kick against Saint Joseph's. He leads the Jumbos with five goals, while Kevin Halliday and Gavin Tasker have each scored four times. As a team, Tufts has allowed just one goal this season, with Connor Mieth (8-1-1) and Bruce Johnson (7-0-2) splitting the time at goalkeeper. The Jumbos won their second National Championship in three years last season.

No. 23 Johns Hopkins is back in the Sweet 16 for the 10^th time in program history. The Blue Jays notched a pair of shutouts last weekend, defeating both DeSales and Cabrini by a 2-0 margin. Achim Younker has 17 goals this season, while RJ Moore has registered nine assists. Goalkeeper Bryan See (16-1-3) has posted 13 shutouts and holds opponents to 0.25 goals per game.

Tickets for this weekend's games are $7 for adults and $4 for students. Tufts will also be providing a free webcast of all three contests.

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