WALTHAM, Mass.- Two goals less than two minutes apart in the first half helped propel the visiting Washington University women's soccer team past the host Brandeis University Judges in a University Athletic Association contest this afternoon. The 10th-ranked Bears snap a two-match losing streak in the process, improving to 12-3 overall, 2-2 in the UAA, while the Judges fall to 5-8-1, 0-3-1 in the UAA.
After Brandeis avoided trouble in the eighth minute when senior Ali Maresca (Wyckoff, N.J./Ramapo) cleared a shot by Bear rookie Lillie Toaspern (Denver, Colo./East) off the line, the visitors broke through at the 16-minute mark. Toaspern made a nice feed to senior forward Emma Brown (St. Louis, Mo./Parkway North). Brown blasted the ball from just outside the box into the upper-left of the net for her eighth goal of the season.
At 17:59, the Bears doubled the lead on their next shot. Junior midfieler Lauren Clatch (Mettawa, Ill./Vernon Hills) sent a beautiful cross to the far post, where sophomore midfielder Lauren Steimle (St. Charles, Ill./Elgin Acad.) was waiting. Steimle headed it home for her team-leading ninth goal of the season. WashU was able to ride the momentum to an 11-3 shot advantage in the first half and take the 2-0 lead into the locker room.
The Judges had a chance to cut into the lead in the 59th minute, when some nice maneuvering in the box led to a shot by rookie Alyssa Fenenbock (Upper Saddle River, N.J./Northern Highlands Regional). The ball looked to be headed into the open net, but Washington sophomore back Jen Reed (Danville, Calif./San Ramon Valley) cleared the ball to preserve the shutout. The visitors added to their lead once more in the 65th minute, when sophomore Jessica Johnson (Carmel, Ind./Brebeuf Jesuit) took a feed from senior Mari Greenberg (Scottsdale, Ariz./Desert Mountain) and converted her third of the season.
Washington finished the game with a 22-8 shot advantage, including 9-4 on goal. Junior Clara Jacques (Los Angeles, Calif./Harvard-Westlake) made three saves to earn the win in just under 80 minutes of action, while Hilary Stepansky (Sharon, Mass./Sharon) was untested in 10:20. Brandeis starter Fracine Kofinas (Dix Hills, N.Y./Half Hollow Hills West) made one save and allowed two goals in just under 25 minutes, while backup Michelle Savuto (Ridgewood, N.J./Ridgewood) had four stops and allowed one goal in 65:08.
Brandeis takes on nonconference foe Endicott College on Oct. 24 at 4 p.m., while WashU is at 20th-ranked Loras College on Oct. 23 at 1:30 p.m.