Last Thursday, the women’s soccer team (4-1-1, 0-0 Ivy) clinched a thrilling 2-0 home victory over Northeastern University (1-3-2, 0-0 Coastal Athletic Association). Three days later, the Bears tied 1-1 against nationally ranked Wake Forest (5-1-1, 0-0 Atlantic Coast Conference) in North Carolina.
Following an electric three-game win streak to start the season, the Bears headed into Thursday’s match-up against the Huskies with a 3-1 record.
“Our team came in extremely fit and ready to jump into the season,” captain and goalkeeper Bella Schopp ’26 wrote in an email to The Herald. The first-year “and transfer additions this season integrated well with our returners, and the team had great chemistry right from the start.”
After suffering their first loss of the season to the University of Minnesota (4-2-0, 0-0 Big Ten) last Monday, the Bears were determined to return to glory against Northeastern. From the opening whistle, it was all Bruno.
Throughout the first half, the star-studded Brown offense mercilessly peppered the opposition with intricate passes, attacks and strikes, putting up 15 shots to Northeastern’s one. But despite the palpable advantage, the Bears couldn’t find the back of the net.
At one point Brown got close, hitting the crossbar on two occasions, but the Husky defense stood firm. In addition to those near-misses, Northeastern’s goalkeeper, Eliza Teplow, made five impressive saves to keep the Bears scoreless by halftime.
Even at 0-0, Head Coach Kia McNeill stayed optimistic. “It was good that we were hitting the crossbar and the post and testing the goalkeeper,” McNeill told Brown Athletics. “It was just a matter of time.”
When the second half began, it was finally Brown’s time to shine. Just eight minutes after the break, 2024 Ivy League Rookie of the Year Ella Weil ’28 scored the first goal of the day. Joy Okonye ’27 — who was named to the 2024 All-Ivy First team — got credited with an assist after her shot-on-goal bounced off the crossbar, finding Weil in the perfect position to head the ball in.
Up by one, the defense continued to thwart any chances the Huskies had at evening the score. Meanwhile, the Bruno offense kept pushing, hungry for a second goal.
The final tally came via the team’s rookie class in the 74th minute, when Naomi Nnewihe ’29 weaved her way down the left flank until she reached the Husky endline. Deep in enemy territory, she found a wide-open Jael-Marie Guy ’29, who smoothly put the ball away to secure her first career goal.
Even after the goal, Brown’s offense kept firing, outshooting Northeastern 27-5 throughout the whole night.
“We created lots of great scoring opportunities, and we have a very strong defense,” Schopp wrote. “Our fitness and high press have given the opponent lots of problems and allowed us to create great offensive opportunities.”
But the Bears had little time to celebrate the win when just three days later, they faced off against then-No. 17 Wake Forest. Although they were facing the highest-ranked opponent of their 2025 schedule, the Bears were not intimidated.
“We were ready to play and gave Wake Forest all they could handle,” McNeill told Brown Athletics. “We created some quality chances and knew this game was going to come down to taking advantage of those opportunities.”
High energy and close chances headlined the game’s first half. Both teams came out swinging, trading off scoring opportunities in a clash between two attacking machines. But with strong defensive performances and stellar play by the goalkeepers on both sides, neither team gained an edge on the other.
The Demon Deacons almost got on the scoreboard in the 29th minute when they sent a missile from the top of the box toward the Brown goal. But Schopp was ready, diving to save the ball and collecting the first of her two first-half saves.
“We have set very high goals for this season, and as captains, we have the responsibility of holding ourselves and teammates accountable and leading the team on and off the field,” Schopp wrote. “We are a very driven and hard-working team that wants to set new records and achieve new heights.”
Though the Bears outpaced Wake Forest 5-4 in first-half shots, both teams entered halftime scoreless — a condition that was soon to change.
In the 67th minute, after evading multiple defenders at the top of the box, Okonye found Guy open on the right wing. With two defenders lunging at her, Guy faked the cross, cut back to the middle and lifted an absolute beauty to the top left corner past the Wake Forest keeper to claim a 1-0 lead.
Brown attempted to lock down on defense after the score, holding Wake Forest to 10 shots while posting 14 themselves. But just minutes away from glory, the Deacons pounced.
Exploiting a numerical advantage while on offense, Wake Forest hammered a shot off in the 86th minute. Bouncing off the tip of Schopp’s fingers, then the crossbar, the ball landed in the top right corner. The game concluded with an even score of 1-1.
“This result shows that we can go toe-to-toe with one of the top teams in the country,” McNeill told Brown Athletics. “Now it’s about building on that and asserting ourselves in the games to come so that we are in good form come conference play.”
Bruno looks to get another win on the board in their next matchup at 7 p.m. on Thursday night at home against Hofstra University (3-1-2, 0-0 CAA).
