WALTHAM, Mass. - Brandeis University sophomore midfielder Mimi Theodore (Walpole, Mass./Walpole) scored the game's only goal 65 seconds into the second half and the Judges were able to withstand a furious push by the visiting New York University Violets to earn a 1-0 win in a University Athletic Association contest that ended the regular season for both teams.
After an evenly-played first half in which Brandeis outshot NYU, 8-7, and in which no fouls were called, the Judges struck early in the second half. The play was set up by Brandeis senior Melissa Gorenkoff (Woodbury, N.Y./Syosset). Gorenkoff dribbled the ball down the right side of the field and turned into the box. She put a perfect cross in front of the net, and Theodore headed it home for her team-leading ninth goal of the season and second game-winner. For Gorenkoff, it was her eighth assist of the campaign and the 26th of her career, extending her career record total.
After the goal, NYU dominated play. The Violets finished the half with a 12-4 shooting advantage, including five shots on net. A key exchange came between the 49th and 60th minutes, when NYU took four of their seven second-half corner kicks. Brandeis senior Hillary Rosenzweig (Boca Raton, Fla./Spanish River) had several nice plays in the stretch, including tipping one bending corner by Violet rookie Serra Tumay (Delray beach, Fla./St. Andrews School) over the crossbar. Later, the Brandeis backs were able to clear two of the visitors' attempts off the line, with sophomore Ali Maresca (Wyckoff, N.J./Ramapo) stymieing Violet senior captain Lucy Dolly Caires (Honolulu, Hawaii/Iolani School) and classmate Francesca Shin (Bayside, N.Y./Benjamin N. Cardozo) turning back Tumay. The Judges also got lucky when NYU junior Laura Palumbo (Brooklyn, N.Y./Fontbonne Hall Acad.) hit the crossbar on an attempt. Brandeis was able to even out possession for the final 30 minutes, but it wasn't until Rosenzweig made a stop on NYU junior Filiz Kipcakli (Port Washington, N.Y./Paul D. Schreiber) in the 89th minute that the shutout - the 21st of her career - was secured.
Brandeis (9-6-3, 3-3-1 UAA) and NYU (9-8-1, 0-6-1 UAA) await possible ECAC tournament postseason berths on Monday. Brandeis could finish as high as tied for third or as low as fifth in the UAA depending the results of the Chicago-Washington and Rochester-Case matches. NYU will finish eighth in the conference.