Over the weekend, the Brandeis women’s soccer team traveled to Pittsburgh, PA to compete in their first University Athletic Association (UAA) game of the season. Facing up against the 17th-ranked Carnegie Mellon Tartans, the 22nd-ranked Judges battled defensively, but were ultimately unable to secure the victory, falling 3-0 to the Tartans on the road. With this loss, the Judges fall to 5-2-2 overall, and 0-1-0 in the University Athletic Association (UAA). 

Defensively, both the Judges and the Tartans applied pressure while protecting their goals, combining for just five total shots—CMU outshot the Judges 3-2. While the Tartans put the only two shots of the five taken on goal, reigning UAA Athlete of the Week and first-year keeper Hanna Bassan ’25 was able to make both saves. In the 44th minute, the Judges nearly took the lead when Pittsburgh native Caroline Swan ’23 sent the ball on a free kick toward the goal; while the ball did hit the crossbar, it was a scoring opportunity for the Judges.

The Tartans returned from the locker room in the second half ready to play, as they outshot Brandeis, 7-0. It was not until the 61st minute, though, when Marissa McAfee—a Tartan—headed home a corner kick to put her team on the board. The Judges remained competitive and in reach, though, until the final six minutes of regulation; CMU then scored on back-to-back shots, taking a 3-0 lead over the Judges. The second goal of the game came in the 85th minute, while the third came just over a minute later. 

While the Judges dropped their first UAA game of the season, Bassan finished with two saves in her first UAA game of her career. The Judge’s return to action on their home field on Oct. 9, at 11 a.m. against 11th-ranked Case Western University. The Brandeis Women’s soccer squad is competing for a win at home in the annual homecoming game, in addition to their first UAA win of the season.