Just under 10 minutes into the second half of the Brandeis women's soccer team's NCAA second-round match against Williams College, the Judges appeared ready to close the gap after falling behind 2-0 at the half. They were down just 3-2 in second-half shots despite being outshot 14-3 in the first half. But the Judges were called for a handball inside the goal box, setting up a penalty shot for the Ephs.Williams senior midfielder/forward Sara Wild then hit a shot into the net for her third of four goals in the game, giving the Ephs a three-goal lead.

Williams would score three more goals in the second half to win the game 6-0 and end the Judges' season. Brandeis finishes the year with a record of 15-5-1 after defeating Castleton State College 2-1 on Saturday in the first round of the tournament.

"I think they're a great team," Brandeis forward Sofia Vallone '11 said about Williams to reporters. "I think that, hands down, they worked hard, they moved the ball really well. We worked hard. Some days we have it, and some days we don't, and unfortunately, today we didn't have it."

Wild's first goal came just 3 minutes, 30 seconds into the game and gave the Ephs an early 1-0 lead. The score came off a pass by sophomore midfielder/forward Catilyn Clark and landed in the bottom left corner of the net.

Wild scored again just over 20 minutes later to give Williams a two-score advantage. Brandeis goalie Francine Kofinas '13 was drawn off her line by Williams junior forward Brett Eisenhart, who then passed the ball to Wild for the shot into the open net.

"I think we used our width very effectively," Wild said of her team's offensive success against Brandeis. "We got the ball out wide a lot of the time, and with our wide forwards just crossing it in, they worked hard out wide and got the ball in, and I was just there waiting for it. . It wasn't really much to do once they got it in."

Wild, the New England Small College Athletic Conference player of the year, scored her fourth and final goal of the game on a free kick just outside the 18-yard line. Wild entered the game second on her team with eight goals and first on the team with nine assists.

Williams added two more goals late in the second half, with both of these coming against Judges rookie goalkeeper Leah Sax '14. The first of these came in the 80th minute off the foot of sophomore defender Kristine Nakada, who scored her fourth goal of the year. Sophomore forward Bridget Gallagher rounded out the scoring with a goal with 13 seconds left in the game after Sax lost control of the ball in the net.

During the game, the Judges were outshot 28-10 and had just five shots on goal. It was the fourth time Brandeis was shut out this season.

"We knew they were really quick," Williams coach Michelyne Pinard said of the Brandeis offense. "We thought their attacking presence, one [versus] one especially, was impressive, so our goal was to deny them the ball, and I think our backs did a wonderful job doing that."

On Saturday, the Judges defeated Castleton 2-1 for their first-ever NCAA Tournament victory. The Judges fell behind in the 10th minute when Spartans junior forward Hilary Cooke scored on a header off a cross by junior forward Courtney Chadbourne. Brandeis bounced right back, though, tying the game less than 2 minutes later on a goal by rookie midfielder Mary Shimko '14. It was Shimko's second of the season.

Brandeis then scored the game-winner, courtesy of another rookie, forward Hilary Andrews '14. Vallone hit a free kick from about 35 yards away that was initially saved by Castleton sophomore goalkeeper Ericka Davis. But Davis was unable to control the ball, and Andrews scored during the ensuing scramble in front of the net to put the Judges ahead for good. Forward Tiffany Pacheco '11 got the assist on the play, giving her a school-record 29 for her career.

The Spartans had three 10-goal scorers in the regular season: Chadbourne, Cooke and sophomore forward Megan Blongy. But the Judges were able to shut them down for much of the game as the three combined for just two shots.

"[Our defensive strategy was to] just come out aggressively and [be] talking and communicating with each other," defender Alison Maresca '12 said. "We do a good job of stepping up and having a person supporting in case one of us gets beat."

The Williams match marked the final career games for Vallone, Pacheco, midfielder Ellie Einhorn '11 and back Taryn Martiniello '11.

The class combined for 51 wins, more than any other senior class in Brandeis history. Vallone this season tied the school's single-season scoring record with 17 goals, and she finishes her career with 28 goals despite missing most of her sophomore season with an injury.

This year, Einhorn had three goals and three assists for a career-high 9 points. Martinello helped lead a defense that this year gave up two goals just once in the regular season and had 10 shutouts in 21 games.

"I know that the team we're leaving behind has the potential to go further [in the tournament]," Einhorn told reporters after the game.