With just two minutes remaining in its game against Springfield College Saturday, the women's soccer team was looking at a 1-1 tie against a solid opponent. Half a minute later, the Judges were staring at their first loss of the season.Springfield sophomore midfielder Jillian Pereira scored a goal on a header just 90 seconds before the end of the match, sending the Judges home with a disappointing 2-1 defeat. The team's record now stands at 2-1 this season after a 4-2 win at Babson College Wednesday.

"We had played really hard for 90 minutes, everyone who subbed in played really hard," captain and midfielder Amy King '08 said. "It was a very disappointing loss, but the game showed many positives."

The Judges committed a foul in the 89th minute, setting up a Springfield free kick 35 yards from the Judges net. Junior defender Kayla Thibeault sent the ball into the box and it bounced on the ground before finding Pereira, who headed it past goalkeeper Hillary Rosenzweig '10 to seal the game.

The match had remained scoreless for most of the first half, with the Pride, ranked 13th in New England according to D3kicks.com, taking eight first half shots to the Judges' six. But less than a minute before halftime, freshman forward Brittany Collins took advantage of a Brandeis defensive breakdown and crushed the ball into the back of the net from just inside the goalie box to give Springfield a 1-0 lead.

The team entered halftime disappointed after letting up the last-minute goal, but King was still happy with the Judges' play, explaining that they had moved the ball well and came across solid scoring chances despite not converting.

"We had a lot of good opportunities," King said. "We just didn't end up putting the ball into the back of the net. They were a really physical team and we still managed a lot of shots."

The Judges continued to create scoring opportunities after the break and managed to tie the game in the 65th minute. Midfielder Melissa Gorenkoff '10 ripped a shot `that was deflected by Springfield junior goalkeeper Sue Jenney, and forward Tiffany Pacheco '11 got to the ball first and knocked the rebound into the goal.

Brandeis got two more shots on the goal the rest of the game, but the contest remained tied until Pereira's game-winning goal.

Though the Judges were disappointed with their loss, they were quick to point out positive things they took out from game. Due to the extreme heat-the temperature reached 93 degrees-there were many rookie substitutes who needed to play and showed they could do so at a high level. King pointed out the play of defender Amanda Bellmar '11 and forward Kelly Cozzens '11.

"[Bellmar and Cozzens] before hadn't been able to shine, but against Springfield they could show what they got," King said.

King also said she was satisfied with the Judges' defensive performance, although she added that the team needs to improve its concentration at the end of halves. Though the Judges did let up a crucial late-game goal, King attributed it to a mental lapse rather than a tactical error.

"Springfield played a different offensive formation, so it was hard for our defense at first, but we ended up adjusting well," she said. "The two goals were about us losing focus at the end of the halves, not us not playing well."

The loss came on the heels of a 4-2 victory at Babson Wednesday, where Brandeis converted more scoring chances and won despite being outshot 16-14. Gorenkoff, Pacheco, Cozzens and midfielder Ellie Einhorn '11 scored goals and Rosenzweig saved seven shots in the win.

King said the Judges didn't play any worse against Springfield, but attributed the different result to Springfield's higher level of play, emphasizing that they moved the ball much better than Babson and played a more physical game.

The Judges next play today at home against Bridgewater State College at 3 p.m.