WALTHAM, Mass. – Behind two second-half goals from
tournament MVP Tzlil Castel (Boston, Mass./Beaver CDS), the
Brandeis University women's soccer team claimed its first-ever ECAC
Division III New England tournament title with a 2-0 win over Keene
State College.
Brandeis (13-6-1), the tournament's top seed, outshot third-seeded
Keene State (14-9-1) in the first half, 10-5, but could not find
the back of the net. The visitors actually had the closest attempt
of the stanza in the 31st minute when rookie forward Katie Bradford
(Lebanon, N.H.) hit the crossbar. The Judges had a number of their
best attempts go just wide of the net and four chances to break in
nullified by offsides calls.
In the second half, Brandeis sophomore netminder Hillary Rosenzweig
(Boca Raton, Fla.) made a diving save on Keene sophomore Molly
Brunelle (Walpole, N.H.) in the early going. The Owls peppered
Brandeis with two early shots on goal and two corner kicks in the
first five minutes before the Judges could regain momentum. After
rookie Sofia Vallone (Westport, Conn.) knocked a shot over the net
in the 54th minute, Brandeis regained the ball in the midfield
following the ensuing goal kick. The ball found its way to rookie
forward Tiffany Pacheco (Rehoboth, Mass.). She slotted a ball to
Castel, who slid it past Keene sophomore netminder Samantha Hirsh
(Holliston, Mass.) for what proved to be the game-winning goal.
The Judges kept up the pressure after the score, finally breaking
through for an insurance goal in the 85th minute. In a similar play
to the first goal, senior midfielder Sarah Jasak (Middletown, N.J.)
slid a through ball past the KSC defense to Castel. She calmly
deposited her 10th goal of the season, and locked up the title. The
Judges were able to maintain the lead despite some late pressure by
the Owls. A huge defensive play was made by junior Meredith
Milstein (Waterford, Mich.), who came out of nowhere to block a
shot by Keene senior Kathleen Keniston (Minneapolis, Minn.) that
was headed for a wide-open net.
For the game, Rosenzweig finished with three saves to post her
fourth-straight shutout and seventh of the season. Hirsh had nine
stops for the Owls in the losing effort.
The ECAC crown is the first in Brandeis women's soccer history in
their second trip to the tournament finals. It also marks the
second ECAC crown for the University in two days, as the volleyball
team won its second-straight championship on Saturday.
Women's soccer claims first-ever ECAC crown with 2-0 win over Keene State
Posted: Nov 11, 2007