WALTHAM, Mass. — The Brandeis University women's soccer team established a new program record today by recording their 10th consecutive win with a 1-0 victory over Case Western Reserve University in the University Athletic Association opener for both teams.
The Judges, ranked 24th by D3soccer.com and receiving votes in the NSCAA Division III poll, improve to 10-1 on the season, 1-0 in the UAA. The Spartans see a seven-match unbeaten streak of their own snapped as they fall to 6-2-2, 0-1 UAA.
With their 10th win in a row, head coach Denise Dallamora's Judges surpassed the 2003 squad that won its first nine in a row, and the teams that won five in a row to end 2007 and their first four of 2008. The shutout was Brandeis's seventh in a row, one shy of the mark set by those '07 and '08 teams. This is Dallamora's 35th season at Brandeis's helm. She is the only coach in program history.
Brandeis got all the scoring they needed in the 12TH minute. On their second of nine corner kicks on the day, junior forward Holly Szafran (Homewood, Ala./Newton, Mass., North) found the head of senior Sapir Edalati (Great Neck, N.Y./Great Neck South). Edalati redirected it under the crossbar, just inside the far post past Case senior Abbey Smith (Powell, Ohio/Olentangy Liberty). It was the fifth goal this season the Judges have scored off a corner kick. It was also just the first goal allowed by Smith since Sept. 14, a span of more than 442 minutes.
The goal was Edalati's team- and UAA-leading ninth of the season. It was also her conference-leading fifth game-winner of the campaign. She moved into a tie for 10th place on Brandeis's career scoring list with 66 points and into 11th place with 27 goals. For Szafran, it was her seventh assist of the season, tied for second in the UAA.
The Brandeis defense was able to take over from there. They held Case Western Reserve to just four shots total, two of which came on goal. The Spartans' two shots-on-goal came late in the game as they pressed for an equalizer. Brandeis sophomore Alexis Grossman (Syosset, N.Y./Syosset) twice denied Case sophomore Amy Lindberg (Farmington Hills, Mich./Harrison). In the 78th minute, Grossman snared a long ball headed towards the far right post. In the 83rd, she corralled a high ball served into the box that bounced with spin on net.
For the game, Brandeis outshot Case, 12-4, and owned a 9-0 edge in corner kicks. Smith finished with five saves in net for the Spartans. Judge senior Michelle Savuto (Ridgewood, N.J./Ridgewood) earned the win without making a save in the first half, while Grossman finished with two stops.
Brandeis returns to action at home on Tuesday night against Eastern Nazarene at 7 p.m. Case is action the same day at 4:30 p.m. at Wooster. Both squads return to UAA action next weekend, with the Judges at Rochester and the Spartans at home against NYU.