The Brandeis women’s soccer team kicked off the month of October with a split. The Judges defeated the Lesley University Lynx last Wednesday, but suffered a loss against the Carnegie Mellon Tartans on Saturday in their first University Athletic Association conference game. Continuing to compete against their UAA competitors, the Judges will next face Case Western Reserve University on Saturday. That game will be played at Oberlin College in Oberlin, Ohio.

Judges 2, Lesley 0

The Judges left the Lynx scoreless in their Wednesday competition in a game that put the Judges at an impressive 8–2 overall record. In fact, this was the fourth straight game in which the Judges did not allow the other team to score any goals, called a shutout. On Sept. 21, the Judges beat Lasell College 4–0; on Sept. 24, the Judges defeated Wellesley College 5–0; and on Sept. 28, the Judges were victorious against Emmanuel College 1–0. The game against Lesley resulted in one goal in each half, the first by rookie Caroline Swan ’20 at 25:36 and the second by Julliette Carreiro ’22 at a time of 56:03. Swan’s goal was the first of her Brandeis career.

In the first half, the Judges scored all they would need to ultimately capture the victory, and also outshot the Lynx 8–1 in the first half. This first half was truly a mark of the Judges’ strong defense.

In the second half of play, the Lynx tried to make a come back, and even had the first attempted shot by Lesley’s Claire Hounslow saved by goalie Victoria Richardson ’20, who made three second-half saves. It was in this half where Carreiro scored what was her sixth goal of the season with an assist from Emma Spector ’20. 

Carnegie Mellon 1, Judges 0

In the midst of the Brandeis Homecoming events, the Judges played the Tartans on Saturday at home on Gordon Field. However, this home game brought an end to the Judges’ second four-game winning streak of the season. For both teams, this game was their UAA opener — the first game each team would play within the association — and while it was a close match, the Judges could not produce a victory.

In fact, it was the one goal the Tartans made in the first five minutes of the game, that decided the game’s fate. This was Carnegie Mellon's Alex Adams’ eighth goal of the season. It was also the first game in five games where Richardson let any balls into the goal. Both teams made five attempts at goal in the first half, but only the Tartans were successful.

The second half brought no additional goals for either team. Both goalies played a fierce second half, not allowing a single point. The game was also marked with a substantial number of fouls for both teams, and the Tartans were given a yellow card for a play made by Maddy Lui. Ultimately, both teams ended with eight fouls each.

In this game, the problem had more to do with the Judges’ offense: they just couldn't seem to gain momentum against the Tartans’ defensive line. While Katie Hayes ’20 led the team with three shots on goal, none resulted in any points for the team.