The women's field hockey club played their first game on Sunday afternoon against the Emmanuel College Saints to a 1-1 tie. The Judges controlled the ball early in the first half, keeping the Emmanuel defense busy. The Saints had a clear shot early, but it was wide left. Shortly afterward, Brandeis had a shot blocked and then another that rolled right in front of the Saints' goal, but no one was there to tap it in. The Saints' ball control improved as the game progressed, and it paid off late in the first half. Emmanuel got a succession of four shots, the fourth of which went in to put Brandeis in a 1-0 hole that lasted through the remainder of the first half.

The Judges came out strong at the start of the second half, sending a barrage of shots at the Saints defense, all of which were off, one bouncing off the goal post. Emmanuel responded with a pair of fast breaks attempts, but both were thwarted by the Brandeis defense. About halfway through the second half, the Judges scored their first and only goal, tying the game. While the Saints never got close to scoring again, the Judges had a few near goals, one of which came within inches of the goal before being blocked. At the end of regulation, the score remained tied, sending the game to overtime. Brandeis controlled the ball for the duration of the overtime period and nearly scored a couple more times, sending one shot off the side of the goal, before the game ended a tie.

"It was just good to be on the field," Coach Kristin Hopwood said. This is especially true since the team has not had enough players for full scrimmages. Hopwood was pleased with her team's effort, praising the team's defense and goaltending, although she pointed out that they need to work on their scoring. The goal was a definite step in the right direction, especially considering that the team failed to score at all last year.

Captain Eliza Gregory '05 said that her team was more skilled but had to combat the "vicious girls" from Emmanuel, although, she said, the Judges "threw a few elbows" of their own. Gregory agreed that they needed to work on scoring, but she thought they passed well and did a good job of communicating with one another.

The team hopes to win its next match, against Boston College on Wednesday. BC defeated Brandeis in their two meetings last year, but with a game and a goal under their belts already, the team will be well-prepared to meet the challenge.