WALTHAM, Mass. – Six members of the Brandeis University women's soccer team have been honored by the University Athletic Association (UAA) on the 2015 All-Association team. Senior midfielder Mathilde Robinson of Miami, Fla., was first-team selection, while senior forward Alec Spivack of Miami, Fla., and senior midfielder Holly Szafran of Homewood, Ala., originally of Newton, Mass., were second-team selections.
Additionally, junior back Michaela Friedman of Port Jefferson Station, N.Y., junior goalkeeper Alexis Grossman of Syosset, N.Y., and senior back Haley Schachter of West Barnstable, Mass., were honorable mention selections.
Robinson earned All-UAA first-team honors for the second year in a row. Though she did not score for the Judges this season, her play as a defensive midfielder was key for the Judges' efforts. She was the team's best performer on 50-50 balls and helped Brandeis control possession for large chunks of games.
Spivack earned her third career All-Association honor, having earned second-team honors as a sophomore and junior. After missing much of her initial senior season in 2014, Spivack took last spring semester off and earned an extra year of eligibility via a medical hardship waiver. She returned to play in all 19 regular-season games, scoring four goals and two assists. Spivack notched two game-winning goals in UAA contests, a 2-0 win at Case Western Reserve on Oct. 11 and a 1-0 overtime win against then-7th-ranked Washington University on Oct. 18. Spivack currently has 6 goals and 8 points in her career. She is also the Judges' career leader in games played with 87, having spent time as a forward, midfielder and defender throughout her career.
Szafran finished the regular season as the Judges' scoring leader with six goals and four assists for 16 points. Three of Szafran's six goals this year were game-winners. She earned UAA Player of the Week honors on Oct. 26 after notching two goals and an assist in a 3-1 win over Westfield State University. Szafran has 17 goals and 17 assists for her career, making her one of just seven players in school history to reach that figure in both categories. This is her first career All-UAA honor.
Friedman, Grossman and Schachter were part of a tremendous Brandeis defense that recorded 12 shutouts and an 0.41 goals-against average in the regular season, putting them in the top 20 in NCAA Division III in both categories. Schachter, who earned All-UAA honorable mention for the third year in a row, and Friedman, a first-team honoree, started all 19 games at center-back for the Judges, helping them outshoot opponents on average by 20.6 to 5.8 shots per game. Grossman's 10 shutouts and 0.35 goals-against average during the regular season are both Brandeis's single-season records. She was second in the UAA in GAA and first in shutouts this season.
The Brandeis women's soccer team finished the regular season with a 14-2-3 record, 3-2-2 in the UAA, good for fourth place. The Judges were ranked in the top 25 of the D3soccer.com and NSCAA national polls for most the season, peaking at No. 8. In Brandeis head coach Denise Dallamora's 36th season, the Judges were an at-large selection to the NCAA Division III tournament for the second year in a row and the fourth time since 2010. They defeated Western Connecticut State University, 1-0, in the first round this past Saturday and advanced to the Sweet 16 of the tournament on penalty kicks, 3-2, after battling regional host Amherst College to a 1-1 tie through 110 minutes on Sunday. The Judges, who now own a 15-2-4 record, will meet No. 3-ranked William Smith College (18-1-1) on Saturday, Nov. 21, on the Herons' home turf at 11 a.m.
For more information on Brandeis Athletics, please visit brandeisjudges.com or follow us on Twitter or Instagram @brandeisjudges, or follow us on Facebook.
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