The Brandeis women’s soccer team, winners of nine out of their last 10 contests, faced a conference rival in Carnegie Mellon University (CMU) on Saturday, Oct. 7. The game, played on Brandeis’ home turf, was filled with alumni and students watching as part of the athletics department’s Homecoming festivities.

A game that was hard-fought until the end, the final score ended in a draw with a score of 1-1. With Saturday’s result, the Judges now boast a record of 9-1-2.

After the 44th minute, Becca Buchman ’19 had enough and put the ball in the back of the goal off a pass from Katie Hayes ’20. Sophomore goalie Sierra Dana ’20 owned the CMU shooters, saving a career high 14 shots. CMU scored their lone goal in the 90th minute just before the game ended, pulling the two teams into overtime play.

After a pair of overtime periods, both teams were unable to break the tie.

Despite being outshot by CMU 29-5, the Judges’ defense proved impeccable throughout the game. Dana has proved to be a huge asset for the Judge’s defense as she has earned a 0.82 goals per game average. She later earned University Athletic Association’s Defensive Player of the Week for her work protecting the Judges goal over the weekend. The clear starter in the goal, the Judges have relied on Dana’s tenacity on defense on their quest to continue their stellar season.

Next for the Judges is a matchup at the University of Rochester against the Yellowjackets on Oct. 13, followed by another away game against the Emory Eagles on Sunday, Oct. 15. Both games are UAA conference match-ups and should test the team’s record on the field. In the 2015 season, the Judges tied with both UAA conference opponents in the regular season, though Brandeis edged out both teams in the 2016 season.