CHICAGO, Ill. – The Brandeis University women's soccer team went on the road and knocked the 9th-ranked University of Chicago Maroons from the ranks of the unbeaten today with a 3-2 victory in a University Athletic Association contest. With the win, the Judges improve to 6-3-2 overall, 1-2-0 in the UAA, while the Maroons fall to 10-1-2, 1-1-1 UAA.
Brandeis took an early lead on a Chicago team that entered the game having only allowed four goal all season. In the eighth minute, senior Juliette Carreiro (Upton, Mass./Nipmuc Regional) found a loose ball just inside the 18-yard box and chipped it over Maroon keeper Miranda Malone for her fourth goal of the season and the 13th of her career.
Chicago responded in the 32nd minute, with Hannah Rittenhouse taking the ball down to the goal line to the left of the net. She crossed a ball that Skye Davis one-touched for Nicole Willing, who put one just inside the right post for her sixth of the season. The game went to the half tied at 1-all and UC holding a 6-2 edge in shots.
The Maroons took their first lead in the 56th minute following a Brandeis defensive miscue, allowing Nicole Kaspi to shoot into an open net. Her seventh of the season gave the hosts a 2-1 advantage.
Brandeis answered just 81 seconds later. Carreiro went end-line and crossed a ball back to the top of the 18-yard box to junior defender Caroline Swan (Pittsburgh, Pa./Pine Richland). Swan chipped a ball just under the crossbar for her first goal of the season and the second of her career. The assist was Carreiro's team-leading sixth of the campaign – tied for third in the UAA – and the 13th of her career.
The Judges notched the game-winning goal in the 76th minute. A ball came into the middle from the left side of the field. Sophomore forward Yasla Ngoma (North Plainfield, N.J. / Oak Knoll) sent it back out to senior midfielder Daria Bakhtiari (Wilmington, Mass./Central Catholic), who launched a shot from 20 yards out that again went above the outstretched arms of the goalie. The goal was Bakhtiari's fifth of the season, and second game-winner. For her career, it was her 17th goal overall, seven of which have been game-winners, moving her into a tie for 14th on the Judges' career list. The assist was Ngoma's first.
Chicago put pressure on the Brandeis defense after falling behind, getting off six shots in the final 14 minutes, though only one was on goal. That came in the final 90 seconds, after first-year Hannah Bassan (Aventura, Fla./NSU University School) came on to replace junior Jessica Murawsky (Huntington Valley, Pa. / Lower Moreland) for the final three minutes after what seemed to be an injury. Bassan denied UC's Adriana Shuttler and the Judges hung on for the win. Murawsky had one save and earned the win in her first start of the season, while Bassan had the one key save in relief. Chicago's Malone made one save in losing her first game of the season.
The win for Brandeis snaps an overall two-match losing streak, but marks their second victory in a row on the road against Chicago. The Judges will travel to #3-ranked Washington University on Sunday at 12 noon (11 Central) for their fourth-straight game against a nationally-ranked opponent.