Though creating chances in a game like soccer is essential to winning, it pales in statistical importance to scoring goals.

This reality proved costly for the women's soccer team last week. Despite outshooting its opponents by a combined total of 59-31, the Judges were unable to win their encounters against Bridgewater State College, Roger Williams University and Bowdoin College. The three losses leave the Judges sitting at 2-4-0 overall.

Midfielder Alanna Torre '12, one of six seniors in the Brandeis lineup, said that it would be an understatement to call the last week "frustrating" after the defeat to Bowdoin last Saturday.

"It's frustrating just knowing that we have been the better team during these past few games," she said. "We work so hard and actually play great soccer, while the other team scores on their first shot on goal. It's difficult to come back from being down a goal."

Coach Denise Dallamora echoed Torre's sentiments. "We had some luck crashing the net against our first two opponents [Clark University and the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, both of whom the Judges beat by 2-0 margins] and no luck in the last four games," she said.

Having fallen to host Springfield College 2-0 on Sept. 10, Brandeis looked to get back on track when the team played host to Bridgewater State last Tuesday night. The contest typified the clashing of two different types of soccer: possession and counterattack. While the Judges knocked the ball around in an effort to draw out the opposition, the visitors were content to sit in their own half and let Brandeis attack them in an effort to soak up the offensive pressure.

In addition to dominating possession, the Judges ruled other facets of the game, perhaps best exhibited by the fact that they outshot the Bears 25-3. However, for all their seeming superiority on the pitch, Brandeis could not capitalize, and the Judges found themselves playing catch-up when Bears sophomore midfielder Megan O'Leary beat Brandeis keeper Francine Kofinas '13 in the 52nd minute to give Bridgewater a 1-0 advantage that it had done little to deserve. However, despite quality efforts from Torre, midfielder Mary Shimko '14 and defender Kelly Peterson '14, the last of whom sent a curling free kick just over the corner of the post with 2 minutes to go, Brandeis was unable to find an equalizer, resulting in its first home loss of the campaign.

Two days later, the Judges traveled to Roger Williams, where they found themselves down 1-0 after only 11 minutes thanks to a strike from sophomore forward Hannah Noel. Although the host Hawks had managed to put an early score on the board, Brandeis upped the ante and almost drew level 9 minutes later, as forward Hilary Andrews '14 hit a shot from the top of the box that nailed the side netting. Just before the end of the half, Shimko played a through ball that almost set a teammate free only to be negated by an offsides flag. Though goalie Allison Maresca '15 had to make a couple of point-blank saves in the Brandeis net after the interval to keep the deficit at one, most of the offensive pressure came from the visitors.

Despite outshooting its opponent for the third consecutive game—this time by a 22-10 differential—the Judges came crashing down to their third consecutive defeat, as Hawks sophomore midfielder Tory Benoit scored what proved to be the coup de grace with 25 seconds remaining to solidify Roger Williams' 2-0 victory, its first over Brandeis since 2008.

It would have been easy for Brandeis to arrive at Bowdoin's historic Pickard Field this past weekend with their heads hung, but Dallamora's side did quite the contrary, notching the game's first five shots. However, despite the visitors' early dominance, it would be the Polar Bears who broke the deadlock off of a volley from junior forward Stacie Sammott in the 59th minute. Ten minutes later, the hosts found themselves with a 2-goal advantage, with senior forward Ellery Gould notching a tally of her own.

Though Brandeis would break its weeklong scoring drought—midfielder Sapir Edalati '15 halved the deficit with just under 9 minutes left—it was too little, too late, as the Judges came crashing down in a 2-1 defeat.

Despite all the bad luck within the past week, the coach and players are optimistic that better days are ahead.

"We are working hard," Dallamora said. "We are working as a team and coming together as a unit. It is a mixture of maturity and they will get their act together soon."

"The fact that we are playing really well is helpful," added Torre. "Once it clicks and we figure this all out and put it behind us, we're going to be hard to beat. Things can only get better."

The team's first chance to test that theory is this afternoon, when they travel to Gordon College to take on the Fighting Scots.