WALTHAM, Mass. – Three senior members of the Final Four-bound Brandeis University women's soccer team have earned All-New England honors by the National Soccer Coaches Association of America (NSCAA) and All-University Athletic Association (UAA) honors.
Senior back Michaela Friedman of Port Jefferson Station, N.Y., earned first-team honors from both organizations and will earn a spot on the ballot for NSCAA All-America honors. A first-team All-New England honoree as a junior, she was named a D3Soccer.com All-American last year. Friedman anchored a Brandeis defense that has held opponents to a 0.59 goals-against average and picked up 13 shutouts in 23 contests so far. A dangerous threat on free kicks, she also contributed her first career goal and three assists.
Senior forward Cidney Moscovitch of Coral Springs, Fla., was a first-team All-UAA selection and second-team All-New England team member. Moscovitch is currently third on the Judges in scoring with seven goals and five assists for 19 points. She is also second on the Judges with four game-winning goals this year. She was the team's – and conference's – leading scorer in UAA matches, when she scored four goals and dished out two assists for 10 points. Moscovitch had goals in four different league matches. For her career, Moscovitch has 17 goals and 10 assists for 44 points. Her 10 career game-winning goals are tied for fourth in Brandeis history, while her 84 games played are tied for third.
Senior goalkeeper Alexis Grossman of Syosset, N.Y., was a second-team choice by both the UAA and the NSCAA coaches. She currently boasts a 0.61 goals-against average with a career-high 80 saves to go with 10 shutouts. Grossman's career GAA of 0.49 is the lowest in school history, while her 21 shutouts are second and 33 wins are third. She also established a school single-match record with 15 saves earlier this season against Brandeis's Final Four opponent Washington University.
Additionally, senior back Julia McDermott of Hopedale, Mass., and forward Lea McDaniel of Phoenix, Ariz., were All-UAA honorable mentions.
In head coach Denise Dallamora's 37th year leading Brandeis women's soccer, the 23rd-ranked Judges are having their finest season. With a 13-3-3 record in the regular season, Brandeis received a third-straight berth in the NCAA Division III Tournament. They defeated Virginia Wesleyan College, 3-0, in the opening round of the tournament, then knocked off #5 and host College of New Jersey on penalty kicks, 4-2, after a 1-1 draw. Brandeis hosted the next two rounds of the tournament, defeating #15 McDaniel (Md.) College, 1-0, and William Smith College, the #1 team in Division III, 4-3 in overtime, to reach their first Final Four.
Brandeis will meet UAA foe Washington University in the National Semifinals on Friday, December 2, at 7:30 p.m., in Salem, Virginia. The game can be streamed at www.ncaa.com. The other semifinal pit a third UAA squad, Chicago, and Messiah College. It will be played at 5 p.m. on Friday. The winners will meet on Saturday, December 3, at 5:30 p.m. to decide the NCAA Division III title.