WELLESLEY, Mass. (taken from a Wellesley College press release) -- Visiting Brandeis University nabbed its seventh straight win, edging Wellesley College, 1-0, in non-conference women's soccer action on Tuesday afternoon at Wellesley. The Judges move to 7-1 with the victory, while the Blue fall to 6-2-1, suffering their first defeat in six games.
Brandeis made a 14th-minute goal from rookie Samantha Schwartz (Highland Park, Ill/Highland Park) stand, posting a 12-4 advantage in shots in the contest. The Judges' Michelle Savuto (Ridgewood, N.J./Ridgewood), a senior, and Alexis Grossman (Syosset, N.Y./Syosset), a sophomore, combined in goal for the shutout. Savuto was untested in the first half and Grossman picked up a pair of saves in the second as Brandeis blanked its fourth-straight opponent.
Early in the first stanza, Schwartz laced a high shot on goal that was punched out of the air by Wellesley keeper Claire Cerda. The Brandeis rookie then followed her shot into the box, collected the rebound and tapped it into the back of the net for the score.
Wellesley attempted just one first half shot, while Brandeis recorded, seven including three on goal. Both teams drew a corner in the first half, but the Judges' 1-0 lead held into the break.
The second half was more evenly matched with Brandeis holding a 5-3 advantage in shots and a 3-1 edge in corner kicks. The Judges has a pair of corner attempts between the 60th and 64th minutes, but came up empty, keeping the slim 1-0 lead.
Wellesley turn things up in the final minutes of play, recording two shots on goal. An 85th-minute free kick from Emily Divito was saved by Grossman, and an 89th-minute Melise Knowles shot from 18-yards out was saved as well, preserving the Brandeis win.
In goal for Wellesley, Cerda got the start, making two saves. Kat Goldsmith came on for the second, logging 45 minutes of scoreless soccer.
Brandeis will look to extend its winning streak to eight games on Saturday at 1 p.m. against Bowdoin College, the 11th-ranked team in Division III according to the NSCAA. It would be the Judges' longest streak since they won their final five games of 2007 and first four of 2008.