Not even sweltering temperatures or an unfamiliar formation could slow down the women's soccer team as they started their season in excellent fashion, defeating the MIT Engineers 4-0 on their turf in Cambridge on Saturday.The Judges have quickly adapted to the new structure that head coach Denise Dallamora had introduced to them during the preseason. This new arrangement features four defenders, three central midfielders and three forwards, and it fared well for the Judges in its first test. Although this setup expands the territories that the various positions must cover, it also helps make the offensive attack quicker and more dangerous to opposing teams. While it may pull some players out of their normal positions and comfort zones, it also is formulated to provide many scoring chances if executed effectively.

This new formula proved beneficial for the squad, as Brandeis took advantage of MIT's slow start and tallied its first goal only nine minutes into the match. Lisa Kaplin '07 capitalized on an unassisted run, recording the Judges' first goal of the season, which would prove to be a deficit MIT would never recover from. Lauren Gregor '06 tallied two goals in the victory, the first only eight minutes after Kaplin's. This one-two punch left the Engineers reeling and the Judges coasting into halftime with a 2-0 lead.

MIT tried to compensate for its sluggish first half and surge energetically in the second, opening the half with a three-shot barrage that was turned away by Brandeis' experienced and reliable goalkeeper Natasha Pieciak '06, who had a relatively easy day in net, needing to make only five saves to record her first shutout of the season. Pieciak's teammates made it much more difficult for MIT netminder Kat Veter, who was bombarded with 26 shots throughout her two halves of play.

Unfortunately for the Engineers, Brandeis was only halfway done with their scoring for the day, and they recorded two more goals in the second half. Only 15 minutes after the second half commenced, Jessica Druckman '06 finished a feed from fellow midfielder Jillian Peo '06, demonstrating how well the two complement each other in the midfield.

Gregor continued nicely where she had left off last season, concluding the Judges' scoring by slamming home a corner kick that had been deflected by an MIT defenseman. Last year, the Judges missed many open scoring opportunities because of their inability to capitalize on corner kicks. This year, the team hopes things will be different.

"This was a good game to start off the season," Gregor said. "We were definitely the superior team, so it was a good time to fine-tune some things we had been practicing."

Last year, the Judges started off the season with a nine game winning streak. They hope they can emulate last year's success with this season's squad.

"It was a relatively easy game. We were trying some new things that worked pretty well, so it's a good sign for the upcoming matches," co-captain Melissa Gordon '05 said.

The Judges will try to earn their second win of the season in their first home game that is to be held Tuesday at 4 against Curry College, who fell victim to the Judges last year. This year Brandeis hopes they can mark the Colonels as their second win of this season.