WALTHAM, Mass. – In a battle of top-ranked Division 3 women's soccer team, visiting Carnegie Mellon handed host Brandeis a 2-0 defeat in the University Athletic Association opener for both teams. After a scoreless first half, the Tartans (#4 in the nation in the D3soccer.com poll, #5 in the NSCAA) scored on a pair of set pieces in the second to snap the Judges' (#10 NSCAA, #11 D3Soccer.com) 10-match unbeaten streak and run their own string to 10-straight.
SCORING
Carnegie Mellon – 46:05 – Tori Iatarola (unassisted)
Carnegie Mellon – 57:43 Louisa Pendergast (penalty kick)
HOW IT HAPPENED
- The first half was a defensive affair, with CMU outshooting Brandeis, 4-1.
- Just 1:05 into the second, the Tartans drew a foul just to the left of the box. Carnegie Mellon sophomore Tori Iatarola (West Dundee, Ill. / Loyola Academy) sent a bounding ball through the box and into the right netting for her second game-winning goal of the season.
- The visitors added an insurance goal in the 58th minute. Rookie Kaily Bruch (Glenview, Ill. / Glenbrook South) was pulled down just inside the box, and senior Louisa Pendergrast (Snohomish, Wash. / Glacier Peak) safely put it into the right netting.
- Brandeis had a couple of chances to get back into the contest, with their best efforts coming from sophomore Samantha Schwartz (Highland Park, Ill. / Highland Park), who put a team-high three shots on goal, all coming in the final 30 minutes.
INSIDE THE BOX SCORE
- CMU owned a 10-7 advantage in overall shots.
- The Judges put more attempts on frame, 6-5.
- Tartan junior Katie Liston (Lakewood, Ohio / Montessori HS at University Circle) made a career-high six saves.
- Brandeis junior Alexis Grossman (Syosset, N.Y./Syosset) had three saves in the losing effort.
- The Judges hadn't allowed a goal in seven matches, a span of 712 minutes since their third game of the season against Bridgewater State.
- Senior Holly Szafran (Homewood, Ala./Newton North (Mass.) had two shots on net for the Judges.
TEAM IMPACT
- After the match, Brandeis had their official signing of four-year-old Belle Swersey (Newton, Mass.) via Team IMPACT
- Belle, who has rhabdomyosarcoma, a rare cancer of the body's soft tissues, joins the Judges thanks to the work of Team IMPACT, which matches children with life-threatening illness and local sports teams to help improve their quality of life through the power of Team.
- To learn more, visit goteamimpact.com.
TEAM RECORDS
- Brandeis is now 9-1-1 on the season, 0-1-0 in the UAA.
- The Judges saw a 10-match unbeaten streak snapped.
- CMU improved to 9-0-1, 1-0-0 in the UAA.
- Brandeis still leads the all-time series with Carnegie Mellon, 10-9-4.
- The Tartans have won 5 in a row in the series.
UP NEXT
Brandeis has a non-conference showdown with Eastern Nazarene on Tuesday afternoon at 4 p.m. Carnegie Mellon hosts NYU in a UAA matchup next Saturday at 11 a.m.