The Big Red with The Big Head

-->

It was a crisp, sunny, Saturday afternoon at Brown. Hordes of parents meandered behind their sons and daughters on campus, sampling the local fare on Thayer and admiring the vibrant leaves that adorned the Streets and greens of campus. But inside the Brown Bears locker room, the boys were focused only on the game that lay before them as they strapped on tape, and drowned out nerves and lingering thoughts with headphones blasting dub step, entering a place of concentration for the battle against the Big Red. 

By the numbers, it was one of the more daunting challenges the Bears had faced in recent years. Not only was Cornell the only remaining team in the country to have won every single game they had played up until this point, but they also boasted the nation’s point leader in forward Daniel Haber, and an average of nearly 3 goals per game. Both the Bears and the Big Red had been ranked as one of the top 20 teams in the country, and stood at 2^nd and 1^st place in the Ivy League respectively, so quite a bit more than usual was on the line.

The whistle sounded, and both teams took off. As expected, it was a physical battle right from the get go, as both teams pushed on with heavy pressure, defending well and disallowing any real offensive creativity. After a questionable foul call against the Bears just outside the Bear’s box, the Big Red got their first opportunity, as the infamous Haber stepped up and rifled the ball just wide of the far post. But then it was our turn, as Dylan gained possession on the left side of the pitch and sent a brilliant ball in to Belair at the corner of the 6’. Belair, with a difficult shot, struck the ball firmly, only to see his shot rebound off the keeper’s chest… to the monstrous foot of BIG BEN who hammered it home in the first five minutes of the game!

(The many celebratory stages of Ben)

The Hammer

The Velociraptor meets MJ?

Number One Bro!

Is There No One Else?!

The crowd went wild.

Cornell was stupefied, and tried to regroup, huddling with heads bowed in shame. But whatever they said or sang (a Kumbaya perhaps?), the Big Red managed to fight back, stringing together a series of passes and almost finding the back of the net a few minutes later after a header fell just wide of Schloss’ domain. Minutes later Big Ben almost chalked up his second of the night, sending a header just over the bar.

The game itself remained on an even keel, with both teams seeming content to hoof balls up top for an aerial battle instead of opting for a more eloquent competition of tactical possession. At the root of this lay a dilemma that seemed to plague both sides, namely how to hold on to the ball. Though Tmac and Dyl were occasionally able spin by defenders on the left, and Gavey had a few ‘almosts’ in combination with Bizzle, the ball was continually and infuriatingly turned over, as I myself got an arm workout from lurching the camera back and forth so many %$@!!* times.

But this didn’t deter the rambunctious Brown supporters who shrieked and chanted over and over, led on by their fearless, sign-baring conductor Dave “the Flash” Flaschen (“Let’s go Bruno…duh, duh, duduh duh duh). On defense – per usual - Brown remained resolute, with strong tackles from Markes, and Erob, and some hard work from the young Tariq in the center of the pitch. Towards the end of the half, Tmac “the Tornado” almost had a superb break for the Bears after spinning by his defender and pushing the ball up the left side of the field, ripping it just wide. 

Moments later Big Ben held the ball up for us inside the box, his hulking form shielding off the defender, and laid it off to Tariq, who ripped one again, just wide. And though Cornell didn’t have any real efforts - forced to resort to long shots ripped well over the goal – it was clear that Brown would need to pick it up if they hoped to go out and crush the dream of the Big Red.

---

The boys returned from halftime with Coach’s question still ringing in their ears “Are we going to win this game or what?!” Needing to silence a relentless Big Red offense, needing to find the vital second goal. But things did not look promising for the Bears as the whistle for the start of the second period blew. Almost immediately, the Big Red began triangulating around the sleepy Bears, putting in a rocket of a shot on Schloss, that rebounded dangerously in the box, only to be cleared at the last moment by Erob.

Another shot comes just a minute after for Cornell, as the Big Red continued to knock on the Bear’s door while the Bears hit the snooze button on the their halftime wake up call. As on of the fans put it “We just need to possess the ball!” Finally the Bears awoke with some good combination play by Big Ben and Tmac, and a flick from Bobby off a dylan cross that skidded just wide of the post. Cornell, sensing the shift in momentum, took the opportunity to foul-the-crap out of the Bears, honing in on Tmac like Reál does on Messi 

Unfortunately this tactic, coupled with a sadistic referee (who accused Tmac of diving at every turn), seemed to work, as Brown returned to their first-half problems, pissing the ball away, and retaliating with silly fouls. Once again the long ball hoofing ensued accompanied by some chippy tackles – including an Erob off-the-ball challenge at the top of the box that was thankfully put wide.

 

Then, what appeared to be an act of divine intervention occurred. After Markes sent in an outside-of-the-foot cross towards the 6 yard box, the keeper, largely uncontested,  proceeded to punch the ball at the face of a Big Red defender, and it ricocheted into the back of the net, a crushing own goal for Cornell, but a sigh of relief for the nervous Bruno fans, who burst into raucous celebration! 2-0 to DA BEARS!  

Though the Big Red kept knocking, the game remained at 2-0, as Schloss and the back line secured yet another imperative shutout. As the two sides booted the ball back and forth in the final minute of the game, and the stands rumbled with the stomping and whistles of elated and relieved fans, the Bears emerged victorious with an important win under their belt. It wasn’t a pretty game, and the boys knew that, but with a 2-0 result against the number 10 team in the nation, it was hard not to smile.

Congrats to Big Ben Maurey for a phenomenal week including two game winning goals, and for his awards as both Ivy League Player of the Week and being placed on College Soccer News’ National Team of the Week!

Next up, a long trip to Pennsylvania, where the Bears will look to extend their league atop the Ivy table. Stay tuned…