Sofia Vallone ’11 scored a pair of quick goals just seconds after opponent Gordon College potted the game’s first marker, and the Brandeis women’s soccer team held on for a 3-1 win at home Thursday. With the loss, Gordon fell to 6-2, while the Judges now sport a 5-1-1 record on the season.
Though the first 45 minutes resulted in a scoreless draw, Brandeis picked up the first of its chances in almost instantaneous fashion. It took only eleven seconds for the Judges to register their first shot of the game, but the ball from Vallone was shot wide. Seconds later, Tiffany Pacheco ’11 rang a shot off the crossbar. Overall, the Judges registered 19 shots in the first half, seven of them on net.
Gordon was able to break through the Brandeis defense in the 51st minute. After a goal kick, a Brandeis turnover gave Gordon’s Katie Knaus ’10 the ball. Knaus chipped the ball to teammate Caitlin Nedde ’13, who then beat keeper Francine Kofinas ’13 at 50:40 to give Gordon the game’s first lead.
It proved to be short-lived. Off a feed from Alanna Torre ’12, Vallone tapped home a chance near the goal line less than 90 seconds later.
Just more than two minutes passed before Vallone notched another. After a second blast off the crossbar (this time from Ellie Einhorn ’11), the Westport, Conn. native found a loose ball along the end line. Her hard strike into the netting gave Brandeis its first lead of the game. The score was Vallone’s team leading sixth of the campaign and the 17th of her career. It was her second multi-goal game of the season; she also scored a pair on Sept. 4 against Babson.
Pacheco gave the Judges a bit of breathing room in the 79th minute. After receiving a through ball from Mimi Theodore ’12, the senior found her shot for her fourth goal of the year.
The tally earned Pacheco spot number 10 in the Judges’ 25 goal club. With point numbers 72 and 73, she passed former teammate Melissa Gorenkoff ’10 for seventh all-time on the career scoring list.
Overall, the Judges outshot Gordon 35-11, with Pacheco collecting 14 shots for Brandeis.
Vallone’s two goals came on nine shots. Kofinas made two stops to register the second win of her career.
The Judges are set to square off against Simmons College (3-3-1) on Sunday at 1 P.M. It is Brandeis’ first meeting with Simmons since the 2006 season.
