Friday's matchup against No. 1 Washington University in St. Louis represented an opportunity for the women's soccer team to test itself against the top team in the nation.

While the squad was able to keep the Bears scoreless for 40 minutes, the visitors ultimately scored just before half-time to go up 1-0, before notching two further goals after the break en route to a 3-0 win.

Later in the weekend, the Judges tied the University of Chicago on Sunday in a dramatic 1-1 game.

The team is now winless in six straight games, with only two goals scored over that span and with contention for a spot in postseason tournaments all but over.

As a result, the loss and subsequent tie push the Judges' season record to 9-6-2 overall and a 1-3-2 record in UAA play.
Sunday's game still yielded some positive results, though, in framing the future of this team. The lack of offense may be attributed to the season-ending injuries of team-leading forward and co-captains, forward Dara Spital '15 and midfielder Mary Shimko '14. However, the injuries opened up opportunities for a slew of first-years to start and they made sure to capitalize on the opportunity.

The group is led by defender Julia McDermott '17, who made her second appearance of the season on Sunday and registered an effort in overtime that flew just over the Chicago crossbar. She is joined by forward Cidney Moscovitch '17 and midfielder Jessica Morana '17, who also received significant playing time in the Judges' match against the visiting Maroons.

Though it can be tough for a new player to step into a pressure environment, right-back Emma Eddy '15 was impressed with the performance of these three players.

"I thought they were awesome," she said of the trio who saw significant action in Sunday's close matchup. "They've been playing this whole season and we've got a lot of new [first-years] that will help the team a lot."

Sunday's game ended up being a very tightly fought defensive battle. Most of the play took place around the middle of the field, with chances coming few and far between for both teams in the first half, which ended in a scoreless draw.

The second half was a different story, however. After the break, Chicago opened the scoring, capitalizing off a rare defensive lapse from an otherwise strong Judges defense. Chicago senior midfielder Micaela Harms rang a shot off the crossbar in the 59th minute, which bounced straight down into the goal box.

Though it appeared initially that the Judges had been given a let-off, they were ultimately made to pay. Chicago junior midfielder Sara Kwan was the first to react to the shot, putting the ball into the net to give the Maroons a 1-0 lead.

Incidentally, it was also a misplay by the Chicago defense that allowed the Judges to score the equalizer less than 10 minutes after conceding the opening goal.

A botched Maroons goal kick came straight to forward Sapir Edalati '15. Edalati showed quick reflexes, as she had the presence of mind to head the ball down to fellow forward Melissa Darling '16, who took a touch before slamming a hard, low shot behind Chicago junior goalkeeper Jacinda Reid to tie the game.

Despite the fact that the team was unable to achieve the victory that it sought, Eddy was ultimately able to draw on some positives that came from the tie.

"[Offensively] we did better than we have the last couple of games. We got a lot more going and we're starting to figure out our new formation a lot better," she said.

Sunday's game, though, was an improvement in all areas from Friday's defeat against WashU.

In an initially tight game, WashU broke away with two late goals within 68 seconds -just before the 80th minute -to take a 3-0 victory.

The Judges were not able to capitalize on early free kicks, as WashU sophomore goalkeeper Amy French stopped shots from Morana and forward Sara Isaacson '16.

Midfielder Corinne Bortniker '15 was sent on net in the 81st minute but could not put the ball past French, who notched the Bears' 12th shutout of the season.

While the scoring woes were at least temporarily mitigated in Sunday's game, Friday was a real embodiment of the frustration and adversity that the women are currently facing in light of injuries to key players.

The result was ultimately not the one that the team wanted, especially given its winless run. However, despite the number of injuries, the women played a tight defensive game against the top-ranked Division III squad in the country.

The team returns to action next Saturday at home in their regular season finale, against UAA opponent New York University at 2:30 p.m.