After recently making the Top 10 in the National Soccer Coaches Association of America (NSCAA) for the first time in the regular season, the Brandeis women’s soccer team swept Bridgewater State with a 3-0 win on Tuesday night at home. The Judges, ranked No. 10 in the NSCAA and No. 1 in all of New England, brought their record to 4-0 with their third straight win on home turf.
Two players that shined for the Judges against the Bears were junior forward Sapir Edalati ’15 and junior goalkeeper Michelle Savuto ’15. Coming off her strong performance against Lasell College where she scored two goals including the game winner in overtime, Edalati was named the UAA Women’s Offensive Player of the Week for the first time in her career. In Tuesday’s game, she scored another pair of goals to lead the Judges in the second half, within a 10-minute span. Savuto played a key role for her team, achieving a career-high nine saves for the night.
“We had great team chemistry,” Edalati said of her team’s performance against the Bears. When asked how her two goals were lined up for her she said, “I got great passes from my teammates and it was really just a combination of teamwork and determination to win.”
While the Judges outshot the Bears 20-11 for the game, the Bears actually outshot the Judges with shots on goal by 9-7 and put Savuto under tremendous pressure, especially in the first half. The Brandeis goalkeeper had to make six saves, including a diving save off a free kick in the ninth minute and another close call in minute 29 when she came off her line near the 18-yard box and the ball got deflected by a BSU player, forcing Savuto to block it out of bounds.
The first half finished with an even score of 0-0, but the Judges finally connected quickly in the second half at the 47-minute mark. A free kick by midfielder Mary Shimko ’14 off a foul drawn on the Bears sent the ball flying to the top of the goalie box where an unmarked Edalati gained possession and ripped it to the back of the net.
Edalati’s next goal transfer came nearly 10 minutes later when a long service by forward Dara Spital ’15 found her feet and she sent it lofted into the back of the net, despite it deflecting off the BSU goalkeeper’s hands. The junior’s second score of the game marks Edalati’s fifth goal of the season and the fourteenth goal of her career.
The third goal that secured the game for the Judges came in minute 67 when forward Melissa Darling ’16 bent the ball from the right sideline into the left side of the net. Darling’s goal signified her first of the season.
While Savuto was forced to make three more saves in the second half, she saw relatively less action than the first half where she made six. The shutout was her third of the season.
Though the game was a clear victory for Brandeis, the home team had to battle in the second half after being unable to take control early on in the first half. “We had to pick it up and come up with a win in the second half. We’re number one in New England so we didn’t want to lose that title,” said Edalati.
