WALTHAM, Mass.- On Homecoming Day, the Brandeis University women's soccer team faced off against the University of Rochester Yellowjackets in a University Athletic Association (UAA) battle on Gordon Field. The two squads played an even match and wound up in a scoreless draw after 110 minutes of action. The Judges went to 9-2-1 (1-0-1 UAA) on the year while the Yellowjackets are now 5-3-3 (0-0-2 UAA).
In the first half, Brandeis earned most of the chances outshooting Rochester 5-1 and earning four corner kicks. The Judges best opportunity in the period came when a cross into the box found the head of sophomore midfielder Mathilde Robinson (Miami, Fla./ Miami Palmetto). Robinson's header went off the crossbar and straight down to where the Yellowjackets' junior keeper Aubrey Jaicks (Mars, Pa./ Shady Side Academy) was able to recover it.
In the second half, the attacking play was more equal as Rochester began to test Brandeis' defense. In the 67th minute, the Yellowjackets' senior forward Grace Van Der Ven (Skaneateles, N.Y./ Skaneateles) ripped a shot that forced the Judges' junior keeper Michelle Savuto (Ridgewood, N.J./ Ridgewood) into a diving stop. In the 74th minute, Van Der Ven was at it again, taking a shot from just outside the box that curled towards the near post but Savuto was up to the task once more.
A little over two minutes later, it was the Judges turn to put some pressure on Rochester. Senior midfielder Mary Shimko (Bay Village, Ohio/ Lake Ridge Acad.) blasted a strike from about 25 yards away that clipped the crossbar and careened back into play. Junior forward Dara Spital's (Miami, Fla./ Gulliver Prep) follow-up effort was saved by Jaicks. Then, in the 79th minute, sophomore defender Haley Schachter (West Barnstable, Mass./ Barnstable) tried a long-range shot of her own that forced Jaicks to tip the ball up and over the crossbar.
In the two overtime periods, the Yellowjackets came away with the closest attempts at a goal. For one stretch in the first overtime, Rochester earned four consecutive corner kicks. On two of them, Brandeis players had to clear headers off the line. Junior defender Alec Spivack (Miami, Fla./ Miami Palmetto Senior) and Robinson each cleared headers from off the goal line to preserve the tie for the Judges.
In the second overtime period, Rochester won a free kick a couple feet outside the eighteen yard box but the shot sailed wide.
Savuto made three big saves during her ninth shutout of the season while Jaicks had seven stops for her third clean sheet.
Brandeis continues their UAA schedule at fifth-ranked Carnegie Mellon on Friday October 18th at 3:30 p.m. Rochester travels to Chicago on the same date with a 3:30 p.m. start.