WALTHAM, Mass. – The Brandeis University women's soccer team place two team members on the 2023 All-University Athletic Association honorable mention list today. Junior Rachel Watler of Stevenson Ranch, California, was recognized as a defender, while classmate Hannah Bassan of Aventura, Florida, was honored as a goalkeeper.

Watler, a central defender, was one of only two Judges to play in and start all 17 matches for the Judges this fall. She was off the field for only 70 minutes all season. The Judges' main taker of set-pieces this season, she led the team with four assists, including two in one game against Lesley University on Sept. 26.

Bassan played in 15 games in goal for the Judges this season, starting 14 of them, including five in UAA play. Overall on the season, Bassan posted a 1.29 goals-against average, making 53 saves for a .779 save percentage. Bassan made 53 saves during the regular season, leading the league with 3.53 saves per game. She stopped 11 opposing shots in a 1-0 loss to Rochester on Oct. 22 and had seven in a 2-0 loss to Case Western Reserve on Oct. 28. Bassan had six stops each in a 1-1 draw with MIT on Sept. 1 and a 1-0 loss to Carnegie Mellon on Sept. 30.

In their third season under head coach Mary Shimko '14, the Brandeis women's soccer team got off to a 5-0-3 start this season, reaching as high as #18 in the national Division III polls according to the United Soccer Coaches. Facing the second-toughest schedule in Division III per the NCAA statistics, the Judges finished with a 6-8-3 record. All seven of their UAA conference-mates qualified for the NCAA Division III tournament, with three reaching the Round of 16 to be held next weekend. Each of their eight losses (plus a win and two ties) came against teams that qualified for NCAAs. The Judges will return nine players who started at least 10 games this season in 2024.

Watler is a 2021 graduate of West Ranch High School.

Bassan is a 2021 graduate of NSU University School.

For more information on Brandeis women's soccer, visit their team homepage at https://brandeisjudges.com/sports/wsoc

For more information on Brandeis University Athletics, visit our homepage at www.brandeisjudges.com.