NEW LONDON, Conn. –

In a gritty, physical battle in which seven cards were handed out, Coast Guard fell 0-1 to Brandeis to open their 2025 campaign. The Judges(1-0) will be on the road again on Sunday, 1 p.m. at Suffolk.

The game started slowly on the offensive side with no shots on goal for nearly 20 minutes. Brandeis got the first solid opportunity in the 25th minute but Bears keeper Samuel Linkous(Gulf Breeze, FL) made two saves including a diving stop to keep them off the board.

Brandeis dominated the time of possession in the first half but the Bears weren't without opportunity. While unable to put a shot on goal, Coast Guard had three late corners and two free kicks on Brandeis' side of the pitch. The Judges meanwhile, appeared on the verge of taking a 1-0 lead with under five minutes to go in the half but senior defender Aidan Miles(Tampa, FL) blocked the attempt to send the teams to the half tied 0-0. The first saw two cards, 14 fouls, and even some fireworks after the whistle blew to end the half.

In the 2nd half, Coast Guard started to find their rhythm on offense. Just over a minute into the half, Nick Yorgason(Pleasant View, UT) sent a strong centering pass towards the front of the goal but there were no Bears takers to reap the benefits. On their following possession, Jake Fish(Little Silver, NJ) thought he struck gold but an outstanding diving deflection by Brandeis keeper Tyler Correnti(West Newbury, MA) kept the score zeroed. On the subsequent corner, a header was snared by Correnti to halt the CGA attack. 

After the saves by Correnti, Brandeis took over with some strong attempts of their own. In the 53rd minute, a Brandeis shot sailed out of the reach of a diving Linkous but just wide. After 10+ minutes of trading possessions, the Judges again seemed destined to score when their captain, Rainer Osselman-Chai(Acton, MA) struck a ball toward the CGA goal. After Correnti played hero with a diving save for Brandeis earlier in the half, it was Samuel Linkous' time to shine with a diving save of his own to rob Osselman-Chai of a lead-taking goal. 

In the 80th minute, the game was flipped on its head when Bears defender Naveen Jayaram(Tampa, FL) was called for a red card. In a scuffle in front of the goal on a corner kick, Jayaram was deemed to have hit the ball with his hand, leading to a penalty kick which Osselman-Chai buried. Playing a man down for the final 10 minutes, Coast Guard could not answer on offense.

The Bears will get back in action at home again next Wednesday September 3rd at 6 p.m. vs cross-town rival Mitchell College.