WALTHAM, Mass. – The Brandeis University women's soccer team got a goal late in regulation from rookie Samantha Schwartz (Highland Park, Ill./Highland Park) today, earning the Judges a 1-1 draw with ninth-ranked Emory University in a University Athletic Association (UAA) contest on Gordon Field.
Brandeis snaps a two-match losing streak to move to 11-3-1 on the season, 1-2-1 in the UAA. Emory ties for the second-straight match and third time in four league games to move to 7-1-5, 0-1-3 UAA.
Brandeis nearly played their third-straight scoreless first half of soccer, but Emory struck with 41.2 seconds left before the break. Eagle rookie Melissa Aridzzone (Chappaqua, N.Y./Horace Greely) switched fields to classmate Melinda Altamore (West Windsor, N.J./W. Windsor-Plainsboro South) about 35 yards away from goal. Altamore sent a high ball toward the net, and it floated just under the crossbar over the outstretched arms of Brandeis senior Michelle Savuto (Ridgewood, N.J./Ridgewood). The goal was Altamore's second of the season. Brandeis controlled play in the first half, outshooting Emory, 7-4, and earning two corners to just one for EU.
In the second half, the teams went back and forth, earning several chances, none of which really threatened until late. In the final 10 minutes, Brandeis junior midfielder Melissa Darling (Weymouth, Mass./Weymouth) was in on three key plays. Defensively, she came across the goal-mouth to smother a shot by Emory sophomore Bailey Plummer (Coral Gables, Fla./Cardinal Gibbons). On the ensuing corner kick, Darling cleared a header from Eagle Anna Gurney (Bethesda, Md./Walt Whitman) off the line to keep the deficit at one goal.
Darling and the Judges went on the counter attack to score the equalizer in the 85th minute. Senior Corrine Bortniker (Chappaqua, N.Y./Horace Greely) played the ball through the 18-yard from the right flank. An Emory defender got the next touch, but Darling went around her to pop the ball into the middle of the six-yard box. A charging Schwartz got to it before Eagle netminder Liz Arnold (Cincinnati, Ohio./Summit CSD). Schwartz chipped it home for her eighth goal of the season.
In the overtime period, Emory controlled the bulk of play, but the Eagles were only able to get two shots off in the first 10 minutes. Both were stopped by Brandeis sophomore Alexis Grossman (Syosset, N.Y./Syosset). Each team had a corner kick in the second OT period, but nothing came of it.
Grossman finished with a career-high four saves in her 65 minutes of work, while Savuto had one stop. Arnold had five saves for Emory. Final shots were 14-13 in favor of the Judges.
Brandeis has 12 days off before their next game, a UAA stop at second-ranked Washington University in St. Louis on Oct. 31. Emory is at LaGrange College for a non-league tilt on Oct. 22.
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