The women’s soccer team had a difficult weekend facing two nationally-ranked conference opponents. They lost 3-0 to Washington University and then tied with the University of Chicago 1-1 on Sunday.
The first 40 minutes of the game against first-ranked Wash. U saw no goals scored. This changed in the 41st minute when Tessa Klumpp threw it into Lille Toaspern who maneuvered into the box and scored her eighth goal of the season. The match would remain this close for the next 30 minutes of the contest, but got away from the Judges in a hurry after that. The Bears scored two goals in a 68-second span when Beck Berels scored off of a defensive turnover in the 78th minute and Kate Doyle scored on a free kick in the 79th. This was Berels fifth goal of the season and Doyle’s sixth. Before the sudden onslaught, forward Holly Szafran ’16 had an attempt at an equalizer in the 73rd but the ball sailed above the crossbar. Brandeis had two free kick attempts in the first half as the result of the Bears sloppy play of 10 fouls.
The Judges stayed close for the majority of the game but could not fight the tough defense, which now has 13 shutouts on the season. Wash U. had the clear advantage in shots throughout the game, leading 18-10. Six Bears had multiple shot attempts. The Judges had only one attempt on-goal during the span that they were within one goal. Wash. U is 16-1 overall and undefeated in the conference. They have allowed only four goals this season. They end the regular season against the University of Chicago on Saturday.
Sunday’s match against the 25th-ranked Maroons ended in a 1-1 tie. The game’s first goal did not come until the 58th minute when Micaela Harms hit a shot at the crossbar that was rebounded and kicked in by Sara Kwan, which was her eighth goal of the season. Brandeis responded in the 67th minute as forward Sapir Edalati ’15 passed an opposing goal kick to forward Melissa Darling ’16 who was able to knock it in for her third goal of the year. Goalkeeper Michelle Savuto ’15 later had a good stop of a Harms kick in the 78th minute and Jacinda Reid stopped a header by Szafran. Each team had shot opportunities in overtime but could not convert. Szafran and rookie defender Julia McDermott ’17 each hit one high, and a free kick by Natalia Jovanovic was saved in the final minute. Savuto had five saves in the match, three coming in overtime. Reid had six stops.
The teams were generally evenly matched, each having six shots on-goal and four corner kicks. The Maroons were outshot overall though 16-11. Darling and Jovanovic each had two shots on-goal.
Chicago is still ranked 25th by D3soccer.com after Sunday’s game. They are third in the conference as Brandeis lies tied for fifth. They are 11-3-3 overall and 3-1-2 in the UAA. The Judges stand at 9-6-2 overall and 1-3-2 in the UAA. They will finish the regular season against New York University on Saturday.
