The No. 11 women’s soccer team took down Western Connecticut State University and No. 16 Amherst College in the opening round of the NCAA Division III Tournament over the weekend, advancing to the Sweet 16 round of the tournament for the first time since the 2012 to 2013 season. 

The Judges topped Amherst in penalty kicks after a 1-1 tie on Sunday and opened the postseason with a 1-0 on Saturday afternoon. 

The Judges move to 15-2-4 on the season with the victories.

No. 11 Judges 1 No. 16 Amherst 1 (3-2 PKs)

Goalkeeper Alexis Grossman ’17 proved to be the hero for the Judges in the team’s second-round win, stopping seven of the eight shots on target during the 110 minutes of open play and three of the five penalty kicks. 

Grossman made two crucial saves on the second and third penalty kicks, allowing the squad to turn a 1-0 deficit into a 3-1 lead. 

It took the visiting Judges less than five minutes to grab a lead, when forward Lea McDaniel ’17 netted her second goal in as many days. McDaniel collected a cross inside the 18-yard box and slotted it into the bottom corner of the net, following a failed clearance by the Amherst defense. 

Amherst nearly tied the game following the ensuing kickoff, but Grossman stood tall in her net to deflect the ball away. 

Though the Judges controlled most of the play in the second half, it was host Amherst who found the back of the net. 

Amherst senior forward Megan Kim equalized in the 76th minute, taking a loose ball inside the 18-yard box after a corner and blasting it past Grossman for the goal.

The two sides played a relatively quiet overtime session, and once the game reached penalty kicks, Grossman stood up to the test. 

McDaniel’s first shot missed wide of the net after Kim had given the hosts a 1-0 lead, but midfielder Holly Szafran ’16, defender Maddie Marx ’19 and defender Michaela Friedman ’16 all netted goals for the Judges. 

Amherst sophomore defender Sarah Zuckerman sent her fifth-round attempt wide of the net, advancing the Judges to the Sweet 16 for the first time in three years.

No. 11 Judges 1, Western Connecticut State 0

On Saturday, the Judges opened the tournament with Grossman’s 11th shutout of the year, a school record for individual shutouts on a year. 

McDaniel handed the Judges the only lead they would need, converting a 25th minute chance into her seventh goal of the year.

McDaniel’s goal was the result of good build-up play by the Judges, who won the midfield battle to set up the game-winner. 

Midfielder Cidney Moscovitch ’17 sprung McDaniel loose with a good through ball, and the forward slid it past the keeper, handing Moscovitch her third assist of the 2015 campaign.

Grossman made four saves in the second half and got some help when defender Hannah Maatallah ’19 needed to clear a ball off the line in the 66th minute. 

The Judges managed 27 shots in the victory and took 18 on target, dominating large spells of possession throughout the course of the close game. 

The team also earned six corners, while three different players took four shots. 

Moscovitch led the way for the Judges with four shots — two on target — and dished out the only assist of the game.

The Judges will meet No. 3 William Smith College in the Sweet 16 this Saturday morning, beginning at 11 a.m. Brandeis and William Smith have two common opponents, Emory University and the University of Rochester. 

The Judges managed a 0-0 tie at Emory on Oct. 30 and followed that with a 1-1 tie on Nov. 1 during University Athletic Association play. William Smith took down Emory 1-0 on Sept. 5 and topped Rochester 1-0 later that month in non-conference play.