Bruno was on the road for it’s final regular season bout against yet another formidable Ivy League opponent: Yale. Coming off of a win at home against Penn in the first snowstorm of the year; Brown was feeling confident traveling a few short hours to CT for a 7 PM kick-off. The Bulldogs were looking to rebound from a disappointing loss at Columbia and keep their title hopes alive with a win at home.
Upon arrival the boys’ had a bit of time to kill and rather than waiting it to pass they opted to wander out to the pitch and support their fellow Bears. The Women’s team was in the midst of an Ivy showdown with hopes of finishing third in the league. Showing their pride in Bruno, the boys’ cheered loudly until late in the second period when they returned to the locker room to begin preparation for the match.
Bruno took the field as their own with 7 shots and 7 corners in the first segment. The Bears were in rare form; the best football of the season coming at the perfect time. Gorman was storming down the left side in dominating fashion, whipping in crosses or laying it off for one of Remick's relentless runs out of the back. Rosa and Pops were swarming Yale’s defense with constant pressure forcing mistakes but unfortunately they could not capitalize on them. Bobby Thalman was looking more like Van Der Sar, picking balls out of every corner of the frame. With the amount of opportunities received and Yale’s lack there of, it would have been a travesty for the Bears to drop this game.
In the second half the 562 in attendance were silenced as the Bears pummeled the Bulldogs with 9 more shots and 6 corners. Nothing seemed to find the net other than a controversial call, which pulled a Bruno goal back in the first. Thalman continued to have the game of his life being credited with 5 saves which seemed more like 12. The Boys’ were determined to get a result; Mandel was putting together another great performance recording the most shots on goal over the course of the match. He had their left back on his heels and continued to create opportunities throughout.
Finally, a ball served into the box was slapped down by a Yale defender leading to a penalty in the second minute of the first overtime. Mandel was “cold-blooded”, composed, and confident as he approached another one of his favorite set pieces. He buried it into the net past Thalman, for his second game-winner in as many Ivy contests to set the stage for a championship match up on Stevenson.
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