Penn @ Brown - By Senior Mike Manella

Brown v. Penn

October 29^th, 2011

As the Brown Men’s Soccer team emerged from a curtain of white snow and entered the gates of Stevenson Field amidst the first snowstorm of 2011, it was clear that the evening’s spectacle would be a memorable event.  Pushing through sleet and pile-ups of snow and mud, Bruno fought to chip, drive, and scrap together passes in the worst weather conditions they had faced all season.  No training session could have prepared them more for this type of game.  The mentality of the players and the determination of the coaching staff and referees to have the game played despite other Ivy League games being postponed gave Bruno the opportunity to prove why they wanted to be Ivy Champions.

For three years in a row the Bruno seniors came up short against Penn, but this year the seniors would get their chance to get a positive result and start a new trend for seasons to come. 

The Penn Quakers made the most of their discomfort against the relentless sky, and when the game began both teams felt that one slip, one deflected shot from distance, or one snow-diving tackle through an opponent might be the small difference in this big fixture.

The first half saw chances for both sides as forwards Sean Rosa and TJ Popolizio struck towards goal several times after good ball movement and runs to support the attacks created the best possible chances.  A Penn forward broke through the Bruno back line early in the half, but Sam Kernan-Schloss came through with a big save in the chest.  Sam rallied his teammates to keep their focus and eyes on the ball, which never took a natural bounce the whole game.  Outside midfielders Taylor Gorman and Daniel Taylor were able to find their footing in the snow before the Quaker wingers, and allowed Brown to control much of the first half play.  For anyone playing or watching, and not that anyone could actually see clearly, it was easy to tell that there would be no clean strikes on goal tonight.

The second half showed that both teams had realized how to use the surface, and much of the running was straight up and down with balls played hard and high towards the opposing backlines.  Bruno began to take control of the game after fifteen minutes as substitutes entered the storm to make a positive impact.  Excited by both the opportunity to play in a game with such a rare atmosphere, as well as a chance to regain feeling in fingers and toes, the Bruno substitutes worked hard to get the ball forward and into dangerous areas.

The game was a battle of the boxes, and as legs began to tire for both sides halfway through the second half Bruno struck a ball from the left side into the box hoping for a chance on net.  The chance that counted most finally came.

Credit for the goal must be given to Taylor Gorman, who made a long run through the snow piles to get forward into the box and sacrificed his body to the early lunge from the Penn central defender.  Gorman was able to poke the ball away just as the defender misjudged the path of a through pass from the top of the box.  The ball stopped in the snow, and the Penn defender’s challenge carried his right leg through Gorman’s ankles.  A clear penalty for the referee to give from ten yards away.

As the referee blew the whistle and pointed to the spot, senior forward, Austin Mandel, a corner-kick, free-kick, and penalty-kick specialist, sprinted as fast as he could to grab the ball and stake his claim on his favorite set piece.  And of course, “Raaandy”, as he is called on the team, side-netted a well-struck penalty past the Penn goalkeeper that warmed the limbs of all Brown supporters braving winter’s wrath that evening.

Raaandy’s strike proved to be the 1-0 difference Bruno needed to secure another Ivy League victory.  Substitutes relieving Brown starters continued to bring the energy and effort that was necessary for the last half hour until the final whistle was blown to secure the crucial three points.

Certainly a game and night to remember for all in attendance, but Bruno had moved on to thoughts of Yale as soon as they left the pitch and the important training and focus necessary to continue to strive for an Ivy Title.