Now ranked at no. 12 in the country, the Brandeis women’s soccer team battled it out on the road at Tufts University, who were ranked no. 21, to see which New England powerhouse would give the other their first loss of the season. Brandeis ended up on top, moving on to 6-0 this season, and pushing Tufts back to 5-1. The decision was not sealed until the very last second, as the game-winning goal was not netted until overtime.
The first half got off to a quick start, as back Amanda Fernbach ’20 scored for the first time in her career during only the 15th minute of play. This was the only goal that the Judges would score during regular time. Sierra Dana ’20 protected the goal well, making two saves in the first half, six total in the game, holding Tufts scoreless while she was in the game. It was not until the second half that the shooting picked up, as Tufts went for 10 shots on goal, netting one in the 69th minute to tie up the game. Meanwhile, the Judges were limited to just three shots on goal, which was not enough to secure the win before overtime.
It was not until overtime when Daria Bakhtiari ’21 was fouled in the box in the 97th minute, allowing for the penalty kick that became the game-winner. This was Bakhtiari’s third goal of the season and the second game-winner of her career.
Both Tufts and Brandeis were just two of thirteen teams throughout Division III women’s soccer to be undefeated before the contest.
After this tough matchup, the Judges headed over to the neighboring Wellesley for a non-conference competition. This was a 2-0 feat, with goals coming in the first half during the 17th and 30th minutes from Julia Matson ’19 and Katie Hayes ’20, respectively. Matson scored her second goal of the season off of a cross assist from senior Sam Volpe ’19, while Hayes netted hers off of a free kick. This was Hayes’ third goal of the season. Three Judges play in goal, with Victoria Richardson ’20 making the only save of the game.
With this win, the Judges are now 7-0 again, making this the third time in the past four years. They are still undefeated and remain only one of eight Division III teams to do so currently. This weekend, the team will host Case Western Reserve as part of the Brandeis Homecoming celebration Saturday at 1 p.m., while simultaneously beginning UAA conference play.
