The women’s soccer team split their games against a pair of top-25 teams in a weekend University Athletic Association road trip, defeating No. 5 Washington University in St. Louis on Friday night and falling to the No. 16 University of Chicago on Sunday. 

The results bring their season record to 12-3-1 overall and 2-2-1 in UAA play.

The squad has stumbled to a 1-2-1 record in their past four games, but all four have come against top-25 teams in the country, and all have been conference matchups.

On Sunday, the host Maroons got the only goal they would need in the 28th minute when Michelle Savuto ’15 was unable to keep control of a hard shot and let home a rebound for a 1-0 deficit. 

Chicago freshman forward Kelsey Moore, who netted the game-winner, found the back of the net again just over 15 minutes later when she knocked home a pass from 16 yards out for her second goal of the game.

Moore was left alone on the far post in the 44th minute after the Judges gave away the ball deep in their own zone, and the forward converted an easy chance to double the Maroons’ lead

Though the Judges entered the halftime break facing a 2-0 deficit, they nearly tied up the contest during a five-minute stretch with time winding down.

Brandeis managed seven shots in the second half, including four from the 79th minute to the 83rd minute, but could not find the back of the net to climb back into the game. 

Forward Samantha Schwartz ’18 had a shot blocked in the 79th minute, and midfielder Sapir Edalati ’15 followed her with a shot that went just wide seconds later.

Midfielder Mya Goodman ’18 pointed to the team’s coaching staff as a way they maintained focus throughout the weekend.

“The team has a hard-working culture, and everyone gives it their all in practice,” said Goodman. “Our coaches have done an awesome job of keeping us motivated and wanting to succeed every time we step on the field.”

Though she took the loss, Savuto picked up a pair of saves for the contest after stopping four shots in Friday night’s win over WashU.

Squaring off against the nation’s sixth-best defense by goals against average, the Judges pitched their 10th shutout of the season to upset the Bears. 

The hosts dominated the first half en route to a 13-1 shot advantage, but the Judges made their lone shot  of the half count. 

In the 30th minute, Schwartz worked a one-two pass from Edalati to produce a one-on-one with WashU sophomore goalkeeper Lizzy Crist.

Schwartz ripped a shot past Crist for a 1-0 lead, one that the Judges would make stand up through strong defensive play throughout the second half.

Though the squad managed six shots in the second half, WashU piled on 11 more—totaling a 24-7 shot advantage in the game—and the final four and eight of the last nine shots of the game. 

The game’s final 20 minutes were spent with the Judges on their heels, but goalkeeper Alexis Grossman ’17, who entered as a substitute after the halftime break, needed to make just one save, as the Bears put shots high and wide of the net.

“Our defense has been incredibly solid this season,” said Goodman. 

“Withstanding so much pressure is not an easy task, but they always pull through. 

“We defend as a whole: the forwards are our first line of defense and every single player knows that they have to keep their mark. We work on [one-on-ones] and team defending a lot in practice, and I think it really shows in close games like these,” she explained.

WashU had one final chance to tie the game in the 88th minute when they won a corner kick but the ball was sent out of the attacking third by the Judges’ defense to preserve the upset win.

The victory was the first win Brandeis has recorded against WashU since 2010 and marked the Bears first UAA loss of the season. 

Schwartz’s goal, her ninth of the season, tied her for the team lead in both goals and game-winning goals. Schwartz now has five game winners this year.

Goodman said the weekend was a positive one for the team, even with Sunday’s result.

“Winning the WashU game was monumental for us, not only in terms of what it can do for our conference ranking but also because WashU has a history of beating Brandeis in the past,” she said.

“We of course wanted to beat Chicago, but regardless of the outcome, the team played incredibly hard, and we now have tons of momentum going into [an upcoming game at New York University],” Goodman continued.

The squad’s brutal UAA stretch will conclude with their season finale against No. 23 New York University on Saturday at 1:30 p.m.