Women's Soccer Stuns 22nd Ranked Brandeis, 1-0

WALTHAM, Mass. -- Bridgewater State University sophomore Megan O'Leary (Whitman, Mass.) scored the game's only goal tonight in the 52nd minute as the Bears shocked 22nd-ranked Brandeis University, 1-0, in non-conference women's soccer action.

With the loss, the host Judges fall to 2-2, while the Bears improve to 3-1.

Brandeis controlled the game, outshooting BSU, 25-3, including 12-3 in shots on goal. The Judges also owned an 8-2 advantage on corner kicks. Brandeis held a 7-1 shooting advantage in the first half. Bear junior Kristen Rowe (Burlington, Mass.) made four saves in the stanza, while Brandeis junior Francine Kofinas (Dix Hills, N.Y.) had one stop.

After Brandeis took the first four shots of the second half, Bridgewater State finally broke through. Senior tri-captain Jordan McDermott (East Bridgewater, Mass.) took a corner kick from the right side. It went through a crowd and across the goal mouth to the far post, where O'Leary was ready to knock it home. It was her first goal of the season.

Brandeis stepped up its pressure after that, but BSU sophomore Kerry Condon (Whitman, Mass.), a high school teammate of O'Leary's, made eight saves to earn the win. Her second stop came about 6:30 after the goal, when she charged off her line to save a shot by Brandeis senior Alanna Torre (Weston, Fla.) with hard-charging Judge sophomore Madeline Stein (Mount Kiscko, N.Y.) ready to follow up any misplay. Condon made back-to-back saves on Stein and Torre in the 72nd and 73rd minutes.

The Judges had another terrific chance in the 79th minute off a corner kick taken by sophomore Kelly Peterson (Houston, Texas). Twice the Bears were able to block hard shots by Torre, and sophomore midfielder Mary Shimko's (Bay Village, Ohio) follow went just wide. The Judges rallied for another corner moments later, but Condon grabbed the ball off a Shimko header. Condon made two more stops in the final 10 minutes, and a Peterson free kick with less than two minutes remaining sailed just over the cross bar in the Judges' final real threat.

Brandeis returns to action on Thursday evening at 7 p.m. when they take on Roger Williams University, while BSU plays host to UMass-Boston at the same time.