Case Western Reserve University sophomore forward Alexis Sassower broke a scoreless tie in the 86th minute with her first career goal to give the sixth-ranked Spartans a 1-0 win over New York University in the University Athletic Association opener for both teams in Rutgers, New Jersey on Saturday afternoon.

CWRU remained undefeated with the win, improving to 9-0-1 overall for the season and extending its regular season undefeated streak to 31 straight matches, dating back to the 2021 campaign. The Violets, who received votes in this week's United Soccer Coaches Top-25 Poll, suffered their first loss of the season, falling to 7-1 overall.

Sassower picked the perfect time to register her first goal as a Spartan. With the contest scoreless through the first 85 minutes, Sassower struck with what would prove to be the game-winning goal at the 85:27 mark off an assist from senior Helina VanBibber. It marked the team-leading third assist of the season for VanBibber.

The one goal was all that was needed for a Spartans' defense that was sparkling through the game, notching the team's fourth-straight clean sheet and extending their shutout streak to 417 minutes and 24 seconds of play. Senior goalkeeper Maggie Storti played all 90 minutes between the pipes, tallying four saves. She improved to 9-0-1 on the season with a 0.30 goals-against average, while notching her sixth shutout of the campaign.

CWRU controlled the pace of play in the first half, outshooting the Violets 8-3 in the first period. However, NYU came out strong in the second frame, taking seven shots to the Spartans' two. The two teams finished tied with 10 shots apiece, while CWRU held a 7-5 edge in shots on goal.

The Spartans will be back in action next Saturday, October 7, returning home to DiSanto Field to host 15th-ranked Emory at 11:00 a.m.