John Hengel's Penalty Kick Lifts Bears to 1-0 Win at Brandeis

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Waltham, Mass., October 30, 2009 – The Washington University in St. Louis men’s soccer team snapped a three-game losing skid with a 1-0 victory at Brandeis University in University Athletic Association (UAA) action on Friday night in Waltham, Mass. With the win Washington U. improves to 3-2 in UAA action while Brandeis drops to 1-4 in the conference.

The only goal of Friday’s game came when Washington University senior forward John Hengel converted a penalty kick in the 13th minute, a score that stood up as the game winner. Brandeis was whistled for a handball inside of the box, resulting in the Washington U. penalty kick opportunity.

The score was Hengel’s team-leading seventh of the season, and he now has 15 points (seven goals, one assist) on the year. Outside of Hengel’s goal, neither team mustered many scoring opportunities for the rest of the game. The Bears recorded six shots on goal compared to just two for Brandeis, and the Judges attempted the game’s only two corner kick opportunities, one in each half of play.

Senior goalkeeper John Smelcer turned away both Brandeis shots to record the 27th shutout of his career, putting him all alone at fifth place in school history. The Washington U. defensive unit, led by junior Alex Neumann, senior Nat Zenner and junior Randall Schoen did its part to stymie the Brandeis offense, as the Bears did not relinquish a shot on net in the second half. Team defense has been Washington University’s strong suit all season, as the Bears have allowed just 13 goals in 17 games played.

Washington U. (9-5-3, 3-2 UAA) returns to action on Sunday, Nov. 1, when it travels to New York, N.Y., to face New York University in another UAA conference battle. Sunday’s match will take place at the College of Staten Island at 11 a.m. (ET).