Mother Nature did not welcome the Brandeis soccer teams nicely, as both the men’s and women’s teams faced tremendous downpours. However, the Brandeis University women’s soccer team appeared unfazed, powering through as they competed head to head against the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT). Prior to the game, both MIT and Brandeis were ranked 0-0-1; while the game ended in a 2-2 draw, by the end of the contest the Judges were ranked seventh among Division III teams by the United States Soccer Coaches.

The scoring opened quickly for both teams, beginning with the Judges. Nearly four minutes after kickoff, the Brandeis Judges were on the board as a result of an MIT own goal. As the rain intensified, so too did the battle in front of MIT’s goal, resulting in an Engineer defender accidentally redirecting the ball into her own net. The Engineers, though, wasted no time navigating their way down the field to put themselves on the board just shy of 1:50 minutes after Judges. MIT player Meagan Roqlett blasted a ball from the top of the 18-yard box that flew past rookie goalie Hanna Bassan ’25. 

Midway through the first half, Judge Yasla Ngoma ’24 emerged victorious from another skirmish in front of the net, sliding the ball inside the left post right past the MIT goalie Ava Gillikin. 

With only 13 shots attempted in the first half by either team, the Engineers gained a 9-7 advantage over the Judges in the second half, quickly scoring the only goal to tie up the contest 2-2. While Brandeis responded with three shots on goal, MIT dominated the possession as the clock wound down. This momentum carried the Engineers into overtime where they outshot the Judges 11-1. Bassan worked tirelessly in the goal, making four saves in the second overtime session; this included an impressive diving save in the 106th minute, followed by two more saves in the last two minutes of the game. 

Bassan ended her first collegiate game with eight saves, most of which helped the Judges remain even with the opponent; Gillikin also concluded the game with eight stops. MIT outshot the Judges 26-15 and 8-2 in corner kicks; the Brandeis women’s soccer team, though, played a relatively clean game compared to their opponent, only racking up 5 fouls to the Engineers’ 14. Ngoma led the Judges’ offense with four shots, two of which were on net. 

The Judges will face Lasell University on Gordon Field on Saturday, September 4th at 1 p.m. Come out and support the Judges as they look to win their first game of the season.