The women's soccer team went 2-0 this past week, securing close 1-0 victories in its opening University Athletic Association game against Case Western Reserve University on Saturday and visiting Smith College last Tuesday.

With the victories, the squad improved to 8-2 on the season and 1-0 in UAA play.

The Judges came in to the Smith game having lost two straight road matches and two of three overall. Brandeis needed a strong week to get back to its winning ways.

Forward Dara Spital '15 reflected that the team needed to improve on playing both physically and mentally in various conditions moving forward.

"After [a 4-0 loss on the road at Bowdoin College on Sept. 28], we had to mentally regain our focus," she said.

"We can't let [playing on] grass fields [where both of the Judges' defeats this year have come], affect our game and make us play slower. We were a step behind [Case] at times, but we still battled hard and created good chances."

In a game that was delayed twice by lightning, the Judges faced an evenly matched Case team, which was 6-4 in non-conference play prior to the start of the game.

They found themselves challenged, matching the Spartans with only seven shots in the contest. Brandeis had few opportunities in the first half, though, getting only two shots off, both from Spital. They picked up their aggressiveness in the second half, notching five more shot attempts and looking to secure the game-winning goal.

As the game wore on in scoreless fashion, it appeared that it would only take one goal to emerge victorious. Thankfully, the Judges were able to capitalize on one of those shots in the 79th minute, when forward Melissa Darling '16 slotted the ball into the bottom right corner of the net from a cross for her second goal of the season and her first collegiate game-winner.

Spital noted that while UAA games are important, the team must put forth that same focus in every match if they want to be successful and ultimately achieve their postseason goals.

"Winning UAA games is the biggest part of our season," she said. "UAA games determine our final destination for the season. We want to make it farther than last year, meaning that every game-not only UAA games-are extremely important for future success."

While they struggled to create chances in the game against Case, shots were not an issue in the match against Smith, in which Brandeis completely dominated possession and was unlucky to strike the woodwork on two different occasions.

The early going saw the Judges begin their onslaught on the Pioneers' goal, as midfielder Madeline Stein '14, midfielder Sara Isaacson '16 and forward Sapir Edalati '15 all registered shots within the first 11 minutes of the match.

Despite its earlier misses, Brandeis got the only goal it would need when Spital, who had a team-high six shots, scored her team-leading ninth goal of the year in the 25th minute off a pass from forward Holly Szafran '16.

"Holly intercepted the ball and started dribbling to the middle of the field so I overlapped her and she found me through the middle with a great ball," Spital said. "It was a foot race to the ball with one player, then I cut around the second girl and shot it."

The Judges tallied 23 shots from 11 different players, as compared to just three shots from the Pioneers.

Though they had issues finding the back of the net, they also used their roster size to their advantage, subbing consistently and using 19 players as compared to the 15 players that Smith used.

That strategy paid off, as the Judges looked considerably more aggressive and fresh throughout the course of the game.
The squad also held the advantage in corner kicks, tallying eight to Smith's zero.

Though these two victories are definitely morale-boosting, the team can't afford to rest.

The Judges have a tough schedule ahead, playing four of their next five games on the road, three of which are against UAA opponents.

Spital said that the success of the team will ultimately depend on its aggressiveness and cohesiveness within the core of the team.

"In order to be successful against the UAA opponents coming up we have to have a lot of trust in ourselves," Spital said. "We need to be healthy and play aggressive. We also have to win 50-50 balls and play smart out of the back."

The Judges will look to continue their solid play today, traveling to Eastern Nazarene College for a 4:00 p.m. road match. On Saturday, they will host their first UAA home contest, playing against the University of Rochester at 12 p.m.