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!
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