The women’s soccer team faced off against Babson and took home a 3-0 victory over the Beavers this past Tuesday, Sept. 22. The Judges crushed the Beavers, delivering all three of their goals in the span of 6:04, late in the first half of the game.
Babson, who has allowed only two goals in their first eight games of the season, held a strong defense in the opening minutes of the first half before Brandeis opened the floodgates, accumulating three quick goals. The first goal came in the 30th minute when Lea McDaniel ’17 converted a pass from rookie Hannah Maatallah ’19 for her fifth goal of the year.
Just three minutes after the first goal, Melissa Darling ’16 scored her first goal of the season off a pass from McDaniel to make it 2-0 Brandeis. Maatallah followed close behind the senior with her second goal to secure the Judges’ 3-0 lead over Babson in the 36th minute.
The Judges dominated the Beavers in almost every aspect of the game. Brandeis outshot the Babson 30-2, with an advantage of 7-2 in corner kicks. Defensively, while the Babson goalkeeper managed 10 saves throughout the game, Brandeis goalkeeper Alexis Grossman ’17 had the luxury of a dominating offense. Grossman did not have to make a save in the shutout to post her fifth clean sheet in a row.
The win brings the women’s soccer team to 8-0-0 this season, a record that matches the second-best start in program history since 2004, behind the 2003 team that opened their season with nine consecutive wins. The loss for Babson brings their record to 6-2-1, while snapping their three-game win streak. Babson is currently ranked eighth in the latest NSCAA regional poll.
In the last two weeks, the Judges have been undefeated, going 5-0. The Judges’ greatest victory was against Regis College in the rain on Thursday, Sept. 10. The lousy weather didn’t discourage the Judges as they beat Regis 4-0.
In the Judges’ only away game of their past five, they beat Lesley University 1-0 on Saturday, Sept. 19. Haliana Burhans ’18 delivered the only goal for the Judges that day, just 34 seconds after subbing into the game. The goal was delivered in the 25th minute when Burhans received a cross from Julia McDermott ’17 and finished with a shot into the lower left corner of the net for her third goal of the season and first collegiate game-winning goal. The Judges presented another outstanding effort on offense as they managed to control the majority of possession in the first half with an 8-0 advantage in shots and corner kick opportunities. The Judges delivered 15 shots with six on goal, while holding their opponent to two shots and none on goal.
The Judges, ranked No. 15 in the nation by the NSCAA, will be back in action this Saturday at home on Gordon Field at 1 p.m.
