WALTHAM, Mass. – The Brandeis women's soccer team has added a handful of additional postseason accolades from the New England Women's Intercollegiate Soccer Association (NEWISA) and the National Soccer Coaches Association of America (NSCAA).
Senior back Haley Schachter of West Barnstable, Mass., was a second-team All-New England selection by NEWISA who also participated in the organization's Senior All-Star Game in November. Schachter helped anchor a Judge defense that set a school record for fewest goals allowed (10) and lowest goals-against average (0.44). The Judges ranked 12th in all of NCAA Division III in GAA, while their 13 shutouts in 22 games ranked 34th in shutout percentage (59.1%). Schachter scored one goal in a 2-0 win over Case Western Reserve this season and finished with five goals for her career.
Earning third-team NEWISA All-New England honors were two additional seniors, forward Holly Szafran of Homewood, Ala., formerly of Newton, Mass., and midfielder Alec Spivack of Miami, Fla.
Szafran led the team in scoring during the regular season with six goals and four assists for a career-high 16 points. She also had three game-winning goals for the Judges and turned in their highest-scoring performance of the season with two goals and an assist on Oct. 6 against Westfield State. Szafran finished her career with 17 goals and 17 assists, one of only seven players in school history to reach that total in both categories.
Spivack, who earned a fifth year of eligibility after missing much of her 2014 season to injury, was named All-New England by the NSCAA for the third time. She earned fourth-team honors as a back in 2013 and second-team honors as a midfielder in 2012. She finished the 2015 season with four goals and two assists for 10 points, fourth-most on the team and doubling her career offensive output (6G-8A-20P). Three of Spivack's four goals this season were game-winners, including two in UAA contests, one of which was an overtime goal that defeated a Washington University squad that finished as the national runners-up in Division 3.
Also honored was senior midfielder Mathilde Robinson of Miami, Fla., who has added NSCAA Scholar All-Region honors in addition to All-Region honors for her performance on the field. Robinson, who was an All-New England selection and All-University Athletic Association selection for the second time, owns a 3.71 grade-point average through her fall season as a business major.
In head coach Denise Dallamora's 36th season on the sidelines, the Brandeis women's soccer team finished the regular season ranked No. 11 in Division III by the NSCAA with a 14-2-3 record. They earned a berth in the NCAA tournament for the second year in a row and fourth time in six seasons. The Judges defeated Western Connecticut State University, 1-0, in the first round, then advanced past Amherst College in the second round, 3-2 on penalty kicks after a 1-1 draw in double overtime. Brandeis was knocked off by third-ranked William Smith College, 1-0, in overtime in the Sweet 16, ending their season at 15-3-4.