Already leading University Athletic Association opponent New York University 1-0 last Saturday, the women's soccer team put away the Violets and clinched a 0.500 UAA record at the start of the 32nd minute. Midfielder Ellie Einhorn '11 sent a long shot from about 25 yards out into the net to give Brandeis a 2-0 lead and the Judges eventually held on to win the regular-season finale 2-1, finishing the regular season 10-7-2 overall and 3-3-1 in the UAA.

"[Einhorn] won a lot of 50-50 balls in the air," coach Denise Dallamora said. "She double-teamed and really defensively trapped their opponent . and initiated the offense from the double team. She really did a great job."

Brandeis earned the No. 2 seed in the Eastern College Athletic Conference Division III New England Championships and will host No. 7 St. Joseph (Conn.) College Wednesday at 4 p.m.

"[It's] good that we get home-field advantage for at least the first game," defender Taryn Martiniello '11 said. "And that really helps, so hopefully we'll be able to continue to have homefield advantage. We're really excited, so hopefully we can win it again for the second year."

If the Judges win on Wednesday, they would advance to Saturday's semifinal round. With another win on Saturday, they will advance to the championship game, which would be played on Sunday.

The Judges struck first against the Violets in the sixth minute. Midfielder Mimi Theodore's '12 shot was saved by the NYU defense, but midfielder Kaitlin Oldfield '12 headed in the rebound to give the Judges the early 1-0 lead. It was Oldfield's third goal of the season, which, along with two assists, gives her eight total points, fourth-best on the team.

"There was just like a huge fuss in the middle, in the box, and the ball kept going back and forth, and Kaitlin was just there to tap it in," said reserve forward Izabella Miranda '12. "It was a good goal. Kaitlin had a great game actually."

The Judges outshot their hosts 7-4 in the first half and held their 2-0 lead until NYU senior forward Sarah Pillemer pulled the Violets within one in the 88th minute on a shot that went into the top left corner of the net. With the goal, Pillemer broke the team's all-time points record. But the Violets, who outshot the Judges 12-11 for the game, never got another shot off, and Brandeis held on for the win.

Goalie Hillary Rosenzweig '10 returned to the net after missing the last two games with a knee injury, recording four saves in the win. Forward Melissa Gorenkoff '10 also returned to the starting lineup after sitting out the Judges' game against Carnegie Mellon University with an ankle injury, tallying one shot on goal against NYU.

Defender Allison Maresca '12 and midfielder Ruth Orbach '11, however, continued to sit out due to injury and illness, respectively.

This season, the Judges outscored their opponents 33-19, including 16-3 in the first half. They recorded nine shutouts, including four straight to start the season. But they struggled against top competitors, losing all four of their games against teams that were ranked in the NCAA Division III Top 25 poll at the time of the match.

The Judges' record would also have been better if they demonstrated more proficiency in close games. Brandeis had difficulty closing out teams in overtime, going 0-2-2 in extra session games.

"Overall we did a great job [this season]," Dallamora said. "[Our players were] inconsistent at times, and it cost us some games. But they played over their heads sometimes as well."

Last season Brandeis, who is returning to the ECAC tournament for the sixth straight season, posted a 10-6-2 record and an identical 3-3-1 mark in the UAA before winning the Eastern College Athletic Conference tournament as the top seed.