Le-High et Le Low

For many, Saturday mornings are a time for slumber, to unplug the alarm clock and enjoy the lingering hours of the morning with eyes closed. But for the Bears this week, it was one-touch time. The game is simple: three teams, two goals, and one touch, but the crazed elation that accompanies this pre-gameday  ritual remains unparalleled in the BMS experience. This particular match included a wave of diving glory saves by Mitch, heartbreak for my goalless, yellow squad, and a stunning – though accidental – left-footed chipperooni from Erob, who celebrated with his classic “Que honda hue?” (a Texican term meaning literally, “what’s up man?”). But the crowning moment of glory must be bestowed upon Sam “the Sniper” Schloss, who ended the game with a resounding “Swoosh” as a goal kick turned shot curled gracefully past the outstretched fingertips of Kupstas and into the upper 90, sparking riotous celebration and a series of bizarre improvised dance routines from Schloss supporters everywhere.

After a quick shower and lunch, the boys dutifully boarded the bus for the long five-hour ride to Lehigh filled with movies, fruit snacks, and a death-like slumber from the young T Arns. We arrived unscathed at our hotel, greeted by the vast surrounding wilderness and a potential Lehigh scout using the latest in Pennsylvanian technology - a motorized hanglider

We waited hungrily for Chicken Parm to arrive, forced to listen to Penn locals V and Big Ben as they explained why WaWa’s had the best sub in the world, painting an image in most of our minds that for 4$ we could expect a sub like this. But soon we inhaled heaping portions of chicken parm and after a brief film session, shuffled off to bed for the boys to prepare themselves mentally and physically for the late afternoon match the following day.

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With a quick morning jog, a hearty breakfast, and Ben “a la mode” Maurey dressed in his

Sunday Best, we set out, over the river and through the woods, to Lehigh’s field, conveniently positioned in the middle of nowhere, next to an amateur golf course. After a peaceful mile-long nature hike from the locker room to the field, the boys warmed up with energy, on this crisp summer day. I myself, continued with the wilderness experience, hunting for balls in the riverbed behind the field, amidst hordes of frogs, briars, and abandoned bottles of moonshine.

The game began without much fanfare, as neither team was able to string together any serious offensive progress. As the half progressed however, we began slowly and surely finding our rhythm. Though connecting through the midfield continued to be a problem for us, as pass after pass drifted leisurely to Lehigh feet, up top, Bobby “Bouchet” Belair provided a physical force against their backline, winning headers, adding high pressure, and battling with the goalie in the air. In the back too, we defended well, disallowing any real chances from the Mountain Hawks.

Finally, we picked up the midfield level of play, as flank players Voltaire and Gavey found moments of brilliance, getting forward and testing the Mountain Hawks backline with speed and speculative crosses. After a slew of corners from Kevin “the guy” Gavey, and near glory off a left footed volley from Markes that fell just wide, V “for Vendetta” Escalona pushed the ball up the left flank, and slotted in a brilliant cross to a streaking Bizzle who tapped the ball in deftly to make it 1-0 Good Guys. Things were picking up!

We continued in our dominance for the rest of the half, save for a heart-stopping save by the young South African Comitis, as he cleared a ball that looked to have beaten Schloss off the goal line in the dying seconds of the half. The whistle sounded, the boy jogged off to (in keeping with the wilderness adventure theme of the afternoon) their locker-room tent, and the question lingered… could we put this team away and bring intensity on this lazy Sunday afternoon?

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The second half started with a bang, as Alex “the-Markes-man” crossed the ball into Gavey who fired in a one-time rifle from five yards out, only to be denied by the lingering toe of the Mountain Hawks keeper. But if this was a “Bang”, it was followed by a resounding “fizzle” from the Bears, as Lehigh found their feet during the second half, combining and exposing some of our sloppy dribbling and passing.

There were glimpses of quality both defensively and on the flanks, as V, Gavey, Dyl and Markes put in several crosses that just missed their mark. But the remainder of the half was filled mostly with some questionable no-calls by the pitiless ref. The Mountain Hawks, inspired by our fading energy took advantage of this, wrestling with Tariq, having a crack at Gavey’s ankle, and after a brilliant give-and-go between Tariq and Alex, savagely sandwiching Markes in the box Wa-Wa style, but once again our appeals for PKs were met with indifference from the heartless officials.

After a few more shots from Gavey and Markes, and a brilliant connection from Markes to Bobby to D.T., who pinged it just wide from the corner of the 6 yard box, the final ten minutes of the game were terrifying. All of the Brown parents and fans who had been cheering without end (so much so that a dad from the opposing side threw a hissy fit, which was met with a polite rebuttal from the parents “We’re proud to be Brown!”) now gripped their seats as Lehigh riddled our box with a barrage of shots and crosses forcing some wall-like defending and desperate clearances.

It wasn’t the prettiest, but after the dust had settled, the Bears emerged victorious, with another shutout, another win, and an impressive 5-1-0 record. A huge thank you to Brown families and friends for their unwavering support on and off the field whether it be through shrieks of support or the literal tons of foods we feasted upon during the long bus ride home. Also shout out to Tim “Timmaaay” Whalen who was honored as Ivy League Rookie of the Week  for his vital, game-winning overtime goal against Boston University.

Next up, a long cross country trek to Seattle for the “Husky Classic” where the Bears will face # 20 ranked Washington hosts on Friday, and Portland on Sunday. Stay tuned!

The B. U. Battle: through the Specs of Schloss

Welcome back to the Brown Men’s Soccer blog. Let me first start out by disclaiming that this will be a futile attempt to fill in for our full-time blogger, Evan “old-man” Cole-man. In his fifth (perhaps sixth or seventh, but whose counting?) year with BMS, Evan has joined the team to help us with everything from practice (on the days that he actually shows up) to filming games (on the days that he actually shows up) to providing comic relief (always). In all honesty though, he was a legend on the pitch and I think I speak for everyone when I say that we are all very happy to have him back for another year.

On to Boston University…

Coming off of a 1-0 loss to Fordham, the team was eager to face BU on a beautiful Thursday night in Boston. After a lot of Hope Street, a lot of traffic, and a few parking mishaps, we finally arrived at Nickerson Field. We stepped on to the field for warm-ups with beet juice in our veins, ready for to battle against a very talented BU team who was coming off of a tough road series against the likes of St. Johns, UNC, BC, PC, UCONN, and Wake Forest.

    

The first ten minutes of the game lasted an eternity with a few BU players going down injured in their own half after some ferocious Brown pressure. After that, however, the game began to pick up. Most of the play occurred in the midfield, where freshmen Timothy “Timbo” Whalen (remember the name) and Tariq Akeel, grinded and battled. Although both teams failed to connect their passes in the final third, when BU did make it across into the Brown half, the defense was stalwart. Alex “I’m-a-sophomore-now” Markes continued to shutdown everything on his side of the pitch, winning 1v1 battles both on the ground and in the air. Needless to say, the rest of the backline remained organized and poised, showing why BMS has only conceded one goal during the course of this young season.

With more of the same in the second half, Brown began to put pressure on BU in the final 15 minutes. Kevin “the tank” Gavey wreaked havoc, constantly running past their back three. But, as it some times goes in this beautiful game, that final ball in the box could not be found. As the full time whistle blew, we came together knowing that we held the advantage going into overtime. What we didn’t know, however, is that it would only take 40 seconds to find the back of the net. Captain McDuff, using his Texas football intuition, chose to kickoff at the beginning of OT. Then, Tom “trickstick” McNamara launched the ball directly into a BU player’s hand, drawing a free kick for Brown within seconds. With Dylan “Calves” Remick standing over the ball, my only thought from across the field was ‘please, please find Bobby’s head.’ Sure enough, Remick curled in an outstanding ball to Bobby “Who said white men can’t jump?” Belair, who was being grabbed and pulled by his defender. His flick toward the center of the goal found Whalen’s bald head for a glancing header past the BU keeper’s flapping hands. GOAL BROWN! Here is a look at the ensuing celebration

   

While it may not have been the prettiest result, we got the job done and battled for over 90 minutes. These are the kind of wins that you come to appreciate as a senior---on the road, against a very talented opponent, in overtime.

The Brown Soccer Classic

The Good, The Bad, and The Painfully Close

Whether you're in the bleachers, dancing on the field, or bare-chested and pounding the fences, it's hard not to feel the breathtaking excitement of a night game underneath the beaming lights that surround Stevenson. With the Rhode Island State Classic Trophy and two hard earned victories tucked in their back pocket, the boys took the pristine pitch once again, this time exuding a new found confidence and energy that had been missing from previous matches. The opponent was the Cleveland State Vikings, a foreign presence to the Brown Dunkin Donuts Classic, but expected to be a challenge and offensive threat nonetheless, after their 3-0 thrashing of Michigan the previous week.

The game kicked off with an explosion of offense from both sides (with Cleveland pushing their outside backs high to attempt the rarely seen 2-5-3 formation). But the Bears kept an upbeat tempo about their movement, creating several chances and counterattacks, and cementing the feeling that a goal was soon to be found. Sure enough, after a wild scrum in the Vikings box in the 10th minute, Jameson "the Lochhead Monster" slipped the ball to the lingering left foot of Dylan, who pinged in a forceful, one-time, strike past the outstretched hands of the Vikings keeper, and just inside the left post to make it 1-0 Bears. This was the Friday night the fans had been waiting for.

As the half carried on, Cleveland picked up the pace, testing the back line and the gloves of Schloss.
But once again, the back five stood strong, winning headers and coming up with a few vital stops amidst an increasingly dangerous attack from the Vikings. After both Brown and Cleveland failed to capitalize on a heart-stopping chance a piece, the remainder of the half saw Tmac infuse the game with his Irish patriotism as he juggled and jigged past the Viking defense, inciting whistles, hoots and cheers from our shirtless section of hooligans on the far side of the field.

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Coming out of the locker room, it was clear that we had learned from our mistakes against URI and PC, as this time we maintained a high level of energy, putting pressure on a back line that wanted to play "ticky-tacka" all day, and forcing them into turnovers and poor decisions. One other noticeable difference in the second half was our overly physical presence. Perhaps it was the excitement of the evening for the freshmen, or perhaps it was a series of military haircuts, but whatever the reason, the aggression was turned on high of our first years. This coupled with a few too many flops and an overly protective ref (in the words of one inquisitive fan, "How much for a new ref?"), led to a few yellow reminders, but it was clear that the Vikings wanted no part of this battle...

As the second half progressed, more opportunities began presenting themselves, until finally, in the 69th minute, we sealed the deal as Eric "Maté Monster" Robinson connected with a pass from Voltaire, and rifled the ball into the upper left corner, center-back style. After this, an increasingly disheartened Cleveland side seemed to accept their fate, as Brown pushed on, with shots from Jack "G" Gorab and Bobby "the fresh prince of" Belair falling just wide of the net, and a brilliant sliding challenge from Erob to deny Cleveland their one hope for redemption.

The whole experience was very refreshing, to see the boys play with hunger and energy for a full 90 minutes against a formidable opponent, in what must be described as the Bears best performance so far. Adapting to a new formation, we executed our game plan, and emerged with a 2-0 victory, and a near perfect start to the season with three wins, three shutouts, and proof that the hard work we put in during the summer and preseason indubitably makes us better. With only one day of rest, we prepared for Fordham who we'd face on a sweltering Sunday afternoon for the Brown Dunkin Donuts Soccer Classic Championship.

                                                                
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For those of you who have witnessed and/or played in the Brown Soccer Classic before, you will recall the inevitable difficulty and exhaustion that accompanies the quick turn around for a Sunday afternoon game. For those of you who have not, let me just say that it is never a pretty thing to bare witness to for either side. But this Sunday for some strange reason was particularly painful to watch, or in the words of the legendary BMS Coach/Blogger Anders Kelto, "The outlook wasn't brilliant for the Brown eleven that day."

Back in hibernation mode, the Bears struggled to shake the stiffness from there joints and found themselves behind in the 10th minute of play after some uncharacteristically lazy marking left two Fordham players open at the back post to head home the ball with ease and make it 1-0, Rams. Although there were glimpses of the energy and hard work the boys had put in on Friday night, the few corners we won and the chances generated by Tmac were not enough to even the playing field. After a string of questionable "fouls" in which Erob and McDuff were scolded for jumping too high, and the Rams were rewarded for utilizing their classic "high-low" maneuver, the half ended in poor spirits, as Ryan "the General" McDuff was sidelined with a shoulder injury.

Whether it was the fire from Coach Laughlin's half-time speech, or several refreshing glasses of thick beet juice, the boys seemed finally to awake in the second half. The ball remained comfortably in Fordham's defensive half, as chances fell just wide for Gavey and Gorab in the opening minutes of the second half. But then lightning struck twice for the Bears, as Ben "Mad Dog" Maurey, reacting to a strong shove from behind and the building frustration of the squad, buffeted a Fordham defender with his forearm, and received the inevitable red card.

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It was a devastating blow for the already exasperated Bears, but rather than cowering in the corner and bemoaning our wounds, we pushed through the pain. Raising the pressure and forcing the Rams onto the back foot, we switched into three at the back, pushing Dylan "the little engine that could" Remick high into the attack and forcing Fordham to resort to petty tactics which included a series of dirty challenges (five yellow cards in total) and s succession of time wasting cat naps by "injured players" who seemed to heal miraculously by some force beyond modern science after leaving the field.

With a flurry of corners, free kicks and speculative crosses, the Bears seemed destined to level the playing field, as we dominated in possession, energy, and creativity, with Erob "the Rock" Robinson getting stuck in, and eliminating any offense the Rams tried to muster with their extra man. But after a final free kick in the waning seconds of the game pinballed off a series of defenders and found its way to the crafty foot of Tmac at the top of the 6, the Bears still couldn't capitalize, as a wall of Rams prevented this final opportunity, leaving the Bears heartbroken at the final whistle. It was the first loss of the season for the Bears, but as Dylan reflected after the game, "it was a good learning lesson for us, and we will use it to move forward as a better team." The Bears had unfortunately fallen pray to what Captain Duff deemed the Sunday "trap game", but, as he mentioned, "it wasn't for a lack of effort."

 It is often difficult to reflect on the positives of a loss, but one thing that it always reminds us is of our own fallibility. With a departure from the lucrative dream of an undefeated season comes the realization that, in the words of Daft Punk, "Our work is never over." The depressing silence that hangs over the locker room, the bowed heads and "what ifs" that run through the minds of players and coaches alike, all fuel the flame for the remainder of a promising season. After perhaps the worst 50 minutes of soccer the Bears have produced this season, we proved that resilience remains a key piece of Brown Men's Soccer as we fought with heart and commitment in an inspiring second half. Although the result was not what we'd hoped for, I for one was impressed with the class the boys showed as they applauded the fans and signed autographs for young hopefuls, making sure that at least one day was made as the sun set over an empty Stevenson pitch.


The Bears return to action on Thursday at Boston University, where they will seek to rebound against the Terriers. See you then!

The Good Ole Ocean State Classic

Friends, Family, Fanatics and of course, Dave “The Flash” Flaschen, welcome back to another promising season of “real football…. BEAR’S STYLE!” Once again back on campus for my 5^th year (how many years is too many years?), my career playing on Stevenson has run its course, but my ability to get as close to the glory days as possible lives on, as I’ve been granted the opportunity to work with the team as a student assistant/blogger/glorified water boy for the year.

After a promising Spring season for the boys of 6 a.m. Blackstone runs, glorious Sunday ‘toca’ sessions, and an incredible journey to the home country of “El Gran Pepeciño” the 2012 fall season is now upon us. Goodbye’s have been said to the now married, “Iron Man” Culpy, the lush grass that once graced Stevenson field, and the unforgettable legendary class of “Super” seniors. But in lieu of these losses, BMS welcomes a new batch of 8 talented freshmen, a new trainer by the name of Dave “the Dude” Murray, and against all odds, a pitch that will probably last throughout the season.

After an outstanding display during preseason including a 7-0 thrashing over the optimistically named “Win”“Stars” Academy from Canada, and a convincing 5-0 triumph over Stonehill College, we began the season at home, under the lights against our Rhode Island rivals, URI in the Rhode Island State Classic. Revved up by a combination of dubstep jams

(like this gem), a brisk warm up and the team’s newest drink of choice, Beet Juice, the boys took to the field with energy and enthusiasm.

Taking control of the play early on, BMS dictated the speed and rhythm of the game from the get go, with fine performances from the freshmen middy Tariq, strong defending from our veteran back line, and some statement tackles from Kevin “the enforcer” Gavey. Then it happened, in the 23^rd minute, man down in the box, hesitation, and then that occasionally beautiful sound of the shrill whistle for a PK! The veteran striker T-Mac stepped up to the plate, and proved that even a new hairdo couldn’t stop him from finding the back of the net. 1-0 Good guys.

The first half continued with chances for both sides, including a few dangerous crosses from the Rams that were dealt with deftly by the back line and a pair of fine saves by senior keeper Kernan-Schloss. A frustrated URI side thought it wise to get chippy, and attempted to aggravate Gavey with a series of malicious tackles and shirt tugs, but were soon justly rewarded with a trifecta of yellow cars, as well as some clean but bruise-inducing tackles from the iron-clad winger.

The second half was a bit perplexing, as the bears returned to the field seemingly in hibernation mode. Meanwhile, the Rams had awoken, and took advantage of this opportunity, pinging the ball around and gaining confidence. Finally, after the Rams found the net only to have the goal be called back for offsides, the boys seemed to wake up. After a speculative effort by T-Mac that the goalie got his hands to, and a curling laser from Voltaire “V” Escalona that sailed just wide of the far post, the Rams had perhaps their best opportunity of the game from about ten yards out. But, luckily for the Bears the combination of Sam’s hulking form and beet stained lips proved too much for the Ram striker, who whiffed the ball far over the goal. The game ended as a nail biter, but once again, the Bears managed to pull together a 1-0 W, get the shutout, and christen the newly turfed Stevenson with a victory.

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After a two-day break, the Bears returned to action against the Providence Friars for the Rhode Island State Classic Championship hosted at URI (after extensive research the rationale for who hosts when still escapes me). The Bears once again began the game with energy as Bobby “Bizzle” Belair and Volatire put pressure on the Friars backline, and Dylan “run-a-lot” Remick pressed forward on the left side creating crosses and corners.

Though both sides produced a few decent chances, the first half proved an even battle up until the 42^nd minute, when Freshman Jameson “Blockhead” Lochead pinged a pass that found Big Ben Maurey in stride as he approached the left corner. Then, proving to Crouch, Carroll and Monstrous strikers around the world that big men ARE worth more than just their heads, Ben pinged a neat, left-footed ball across the mouth of the goal to find the streaking blur of Tommy “el Tomate” Arns who knocked in his first career goal at a vital moment for the Brown squad. 1-0 Bears!

The Second half once again started without much fanfare as it took a few minutes for the Bears to lumber back into gear. Perhaps where we seemed to struggle most was finding feet in the opposing half, as many a well-intentioned pass found its way off the pitch. As the half sped on, both sides had chances with T-Mac and V putting up several attempts that fell just wide of the net. The Friars had 1 or 2 heart-stopping moments including a heart-stopping clearance off the line from the Ryan “Snuffalupagus” McDuff and two fine saves from Schloss.

So the game ended 1-0, with the Bears finding away to scrap out a victory (Bearstyle!) and claim their first ever Ocean State Classic Trophy. Although the trophy itself appeared to have been the product of a Kindergarten art project gone awry, the boys nonetheless celebrated a great start to the season, with confidence, subs (thanks parents!) and a case of cookies that magically disappeared towards the front of the bus.

Cheers to All-Tournament Honorees Erob, Karl Markes, and Tariq, and to the Tournament MVP Dylan "I'm Sexy" Remick

Next up Cleveland State at 7:30 p.m. on Stevenson for the Brown Soccer Classic!