WALTHAM, Mass. – Three members of the Brandeis University women's soccer team have earned a spot on the United Soccer Coaches All-New England squad. Junior forward Sasha Sunday of Bethlehem, Pennsylvania, was a second-team selection, while junior midfielder Hannah Maatallah of Wilton, Connecticut, and senior forward Samantha Schwartz of Highland Park, Ill., were third-team honorees.
Sunday was the Judges' leading scorer this season, with nine goals and nine assists for 27 points. Her nine assists are third in the University Athletic Association, while her 27 points were fourth overall. Sunday scored points in 13 of Brandeis's 21 games this season, including a seven-point performance against Westfield State on Oct. 18th. Sunday delivered three of her nine assists in University Athletic Association games, including two in a 3-0 win at Case Western Reserve on Oct. 1 and another on the game-winning goal in a 1-0 win at Rochester on Oct. 13.
Maatallah notched two goals and three assists for seven points in 21 games this season. She was the Judges' top two-way threat in the midfield on offense and defense. Maatallah notched a goal and an assist in non-conference games against Lasell and Eastern Connecticut State, then added a crucial assist on a game-tying goal in a 1-1 draw against NYU in the regular-season finale for both teams. Maatallah has started all but three games for the Judges over the past three seasons.
Schwartz was Brandeis's second-leading scorer this season, tallying nine goals and two assists for 20 points. Schwartz scored one UAA goal this season in the team's 3-0 win at Case Western Reserve. She also had a two-goal game in a non-conference game against Elms College on Oct. 22, scoring twice in the final 12 minutes to help salvage a draw. Schwartz finished her career the postseason with 70 points on 29 goals and 12 assists, ranking sixth in career goals and 10th in career points.
The Brandeis University women's soccer team finished their 2017 season with a 12-5-4 record. The Judges reached a fourth-straight NCAA Division III tournament, a program-first. They defeated Stevens Institute of Technology, 3-1, in the first round before falling to eventual Final Four participant Williams in the second.
Sunday is a 2015 graduate of Allentown Central Catholic High School.
Maatallah is a 2015 graduate of Wilton High School.
Schwartz is a 2014 graduate of Highland Park High School.
For more information on Brandeis University women's soccer, please visit our home page at http://www.brandeisjudges.com/sports/wsoc/.