During the weekend, the Brandeis women’s soccer team dropped both of their games, 3-0 at Emory University on Friday night, and then 1-0 at Carnegie Mellon on Sunday afternoon. After getting shut out by both of their University Athletic Association rivals, the Judges returned from their road trip with a record of 6-10-2.
Just 35 seconds into the game on Friday night, the fifth-ranked Emory Eagles got out to an early lead when sophomore Claire Mullins scored her fifth goal of the season. Emory never looked back, adding some insurance in the second half, when Eagles midfielder Lidija Baraiskas scored in the 57th minute. Then, in the 70th minute, Mullins put the game away when she scored her second goal of the game.
Although Emory outshot Brandeis 20-8, the Judges were encouraged by the play of midfielder Mary Shimko ’14, who led the team with three shots. Goalie Francine Kofinas ’13, who played the first half, and Michelle Savuto ’15, who played the second half, each saved four shots for the Judges. It was not enough, however, and Emory remained undefeated on the season, improving to 13-0-2, including 4-0-1 in UAA matches. The Judges looked to turn things around and left Atlanta ready to face Carnegie Mellon on Sunday.
In the match versus CMU, Brandeis was dominated in the first half, getting outshot 14-1. Kofinas, however, kept the game scoreless, recording three saves. Midfielder Alyssa Fenenbock ’15 took the Judges’ only shot of the half, which occurred in the 35th minute.
Brandeis finally got a shot on goal in the second half, when defensive back Kelly Peterson ’14 had her shot saved in the 54th minute. Savuto moved into goal and received pressure from the Tartans almost immediately, saving three shots early in the half. In the 61st minute, however, the Tartans broke through when rookie forward Savina Reid scored on a corner kick from sophomore defensive back Rachel Contopolous. The goal was Reid’s sixth of the season.
Down a goal, the Judges then started advancing the ball better and were able to put more pressure on Carnegie Mellon’s defense, outshooting the Tartans for the remainder of the game. Judges forward Hilary Andrews ’14 nearly scored twice, including shots in the 67th and 73rd minutes. The Judges could not connect though, as sophomore goalie Anna Albi came up with five saves to preserve her team’s lead and seal the victory.
Just like the match versus Emory, the Judges were outshot big, this time by a margin of 23-10. Savuto saved four shots and Kofinas saved three, while Tartan goalie Albi finished with six saves to earn the shutout. Carnegie Mellon improved to 9-6 overall with the win.
The Judges, who are now 0-5-1 in the UAA, and have won only one match in their last seven tries, will play their last game of the season this weekend. They host New York University on Saturday afternoon, when they look to finally earn what would be their only UAA victory of a disappointing season.
