During halftime of the game against Bowdoin College Sunday, the women's soccer team found itself in a familiar position: down 1-0 after the first half, the same deficit the team faced in each of its two losses this season.In each of those games, the Judges rallied to tie the score before falling in overtime. This time, the team was finally able complete its comeback, defeating Bowdoin, the ninth-ranked team in New England, 2-1.

The win puts Brandeis on a five-game winning streak, following a 1-0 victory over Gordon College Thursday. The Judges are 5-2.

Midfielder Sarah Jasak '08 said the team was determined not to let the comeback slip away this time around.

"We didn't want to lose another game that we were down by one, and we didn't want to go to overtime," she said.

Jasak and midfielder Melissa Gorenkoff '10 scored goals in the 70th and 73rd minutes, respectively, to lift the Judges. The victory was the team's first win against Bowdoin in its last four tries.

Bowdoin's offensive formation frustrated the Judges early, allowing the Polar Bears to control possession. The game remained scoreless until the final minute of the first half, when a Judges' turnover allowed Bowdin junior Ann Ziegler an open shot from 20 yards out that she hit into the top right corner of the net to give the Polar Bears the lead.

"We tend to let down after we're scored on, [but] this time, we changed our mentality to work harder," Jasak said.

The Judges controlled possession in the second half, exploiting Bowdoin's offensive attack with counter-attacks up the wings. In the 70th minute, Brandeis finally tied the game when a free kick by Douglass from midfield bounced between two Bowdoin defenders to Jasak, who calmly nudged the ball past the goalie and into the bottom left-hand corner of the net.

The tie proved to be short-lived; the Judges took the lead a mere 3 minutes later, when Gorenkoff rifled a shot from about 30 yards out that deflected off Bowdoin goalie Kelly Thomas into the goal. It was the first goal of Gorenkoff's Brandeis career.

"At that point, there are less than 20 minutes in the half, so if we just sat back, we would probably win," Kaplin said.

The Judges coasted from that point.

Coach Denise Dallamora said she was pleased with the Judges' improved play as of late.

"[We] need to work on our defense a bit, and our fitness level needs to improve, but overall, I'm very proud of the team," Dallamora said.

After starting the season with consecutive losses, the Judges have catapulted to 15th in the regional rankings with their winning streak. To keep improving, captain Lisa Kaplin '08 said, the team needs to play a more complete game.

"We have to focus on being a first half team and a second half team, rather than just one or the other," she said.

The Judges take on Westfield State College Tuesday before opening conference play at home against Case Western Reserve University Saturday.