WALTHAM, Mass. – The Brandeis University women's soccer team allowed multiple goals for only the third time this season tonight as the Judges dropped a 2-1 decision to the University of Chicago in a University Athletic Association (UAA) contest on Gordon Field. With the loss, the Judges fall to 9-4 overall, 1-2 in the UAA. The Maroons, ranked #13 in Division III by the United Soccer Coaches and by D3Soccer.com, improve to 9-1-2, 2-0-1 in the UAA.
The first half was evenly played, with both teams getting off six shots. Brandeis put four of their six on net compared to just one for the visitors, but it was Chicago who found the back of the net first. Maroon junior goalkeeper Miranda Malone did well to deny Brandeis sophomore Juliette Carreiro (Upton, Mass./Nipmuc Regional) in the ninth minute, coming off her line to deny an initial save and forcing the rebound to go over the net. In the 24th minute, Malone stoned Judge sophomore Makenna Hunt (Tyngsboro, Mass./Tyngsboro), punching her point-blank shot over the crossbar.
Chicago finally broke through in the 35th minute, when sophomore Nikola Charouzova eluded a defender in the right side of the 18-yard box. She crossed the ball to junior Katie Jasminski, who fired into the left netting for her seventh goal of the season.
The visitors were able to get a key insurance goal early in the second half when Brandeis was called for a hand ball along the goal line. Senior Hannah Watkins calmly sent the ball past a diving Victoria Richardson (Tolland, Conn./Tolland) to give Chicago a 2-0 lead in the 51st minute.
Brandeis increased their pressure and broke through in the 64th minute. Junior Daria Bakhtiari (Wilmington, Mass./Central Catholic School) crossed the ball from the right flank, with Carreiro and junior Katie Romanovich (Cranford, N.J./Academy for Allied Health and Sciences) inside the box. Carreiro flicked over a defender to an open Romanovich, who buried her first goal of the collegiate career to cut the Brandeis deficit to 2-1.
The Judges got one more shot on goal from Bakhtiari in the 66th minute, but Malone was there for the save, and the Maroons were able to keep Brandeis at bay the rest of the way.
Brandeis had a 12-9 edge in total shots and a 6-2 advantage in shots on goal. Chicago owned the edge in corner kicks, 4-3, while Brandeis had seven fouls to six for the visitors. Richardson took the loss and did not have any saves, while Malone had five stops in the victory.
Brandeis returns to action on Sunday morning at 11 a.m. when they take on #4-ranked Washington University. Chicago is at NYU at the same time.