WALTHAM, Mass. – The Brandeis University women's soccer team will make its fifth-straight appearance in the Eastern College Athletic Conference (ECAC) Division III New England championship tournament. The Judges, who finished the regular season with a 10-6-2 record, earned the tournament's top seed and will host No. 8 seeded Emerson College (13-4-4) at 4:30 p.m. on Nov. 7 on Gordon Field.

Brandeis has advanced to the ECAC tournament semifinals in each of the past four years, reaching the finals in 2004. They finished with a 3-3-1 mark in the University Athletic Association (UAA), tying for fifth place. The Judges are led by senior midfielder Sarah Jasak of Middletown, N.J., who leads the squad with eight goals and 23 points. Jasak is second in the UAA in scoring. Rookie forward Tiffany Pacheco of Rehoboth, Mass., ranks first on the team with eight assists, third in the conference. Sophomore goalkeeper Hillary Rosenzweig of Boca Raton, Fla., posted four shutouts this year and placed second in the league with 78 saves.

Emerson reached the finals of the Great Northeast Athletic Conference, falling to Emmanuel College in the finals. The Lions are paced by senior forward Casey Whalen of Great Barrington, Mass., the GNAC Player of the Year. Whalen led the conference with 19 goals and 42 points, ranking in the top 30 in the NCAA in both categories.

This will be the first-ever meeting between the two teams on the women's soccer pitch. Brandeis has posted a 2-0 record against the ECAC field, with wins over Roger Williams and MIT, while Emerson is 0-2-1, with an OT loss to Curry and a loss and a tie against St. Joseph's.

The other first-round match-ups – also played on Wednesday - in the ECAC women's soccer tournament feature No. 2 seeded Roger Williams University (15-5-1) hosting No. 7 Curry College (13-5-1); No. 3 Keene State College (12-8-1) taking on No. 6 Western New England College (13-5-3); and No. 4 St. Joseph's (Maine) College (16-1-3) facing No. 5 MIT (12-6). The semifinals will be played on Saturday afternoon and finals on Sunday with higher seeds hosting each match.