Women’s soccer made it past the first round of the NCAA tournament Saturday with a 2-0 win over Penn State-Behrend. The Judges got their first goal in the 18th minute when Cidney Moscovitch ’17 ran down the right side of the field before cutting inside for a shot to the left post. The second goal for the Judges came in the 59th minute when Holly Szafran ’16 secured her 11th career goal off a free kick. That was all the scoring the Judges needed to put their 12th shutout of the season in the books.
However, it was not a walk in the park for the Judges as PSUB made it a tough competition, outshooting Brandeis 12-2 in the first half. The Judges stellar defense was accompanied by Michelle Savuto’s ’15 one save in the first half. Other than the one save, Brandeis goalkeepers Savuto and Alexis Grossman ’17 had a quiet night.
The win against Penn State-Behrend advanced Brandeis to the second round against Misericordia.
Sunday’s game against Misericordia ended in heartbreak for the Judges with a 2-1 loss which bumps them from the NCAA tournament. The Judges finished their season with a record of 13-5-2, which ties them for sixth most wins in a season in program history.
The Judges controlled the game in the first half, outshooting the Misericordia Cougars 9-4. However, the Judges couldn’t seem to get it past the Cougars goalkeeper. Luckily for the Judges, the Cougars had the same problem and the game was tied 0-0 at the half.
Both Brandeis and Misericordia recorded eight shots on goal in the second half, but it was the Cougars who finished their shots. It wasn’t until the 71st minute that the Cougars took the lead 1-0. Brandeis scored their first goal to tie the game, 1-1, in the 77th minute when the Judges took advantage of an opponent’s penalty that resulted in a yellow card. Then Haley Schachter ’16 took the free kick for Brandeis, which was passed to Melissa Darling ’16. Darling scored Brandeis’ only goal of the game, and her fifth career goal, with a kick to the left post.
The game went back and forth, both teams aggressive on offense. The defense responded as Savuto had two saves in the game, while Grossman had four. However, the Judges couldn’t seem to keep the play up when, with just 2:26 left in the game, Misericordia scored the goal that would seal both theirs and the Judges’ fate.
The 2-1 loss is only the third time the Judges have let more than one goal against them, setting new school records for the fewest goals allowed in a season. The Judge’s goalkeepers, Savuto and Grossman, hold the two lowest goals against average (GAA) per season in team history.
