Minutemen

On a sunny Sunday afternoon (9/27) at 4pm, The Brown bears took on Umass Minutemen after a tough loss Friday (9/25) against Florida Gulf Coast.  The Bears were excited to bounce back with a victory the week before the start of the Ivy League season.  The Bears expected to win this match, but knew it wouldn’t be easy and knew everyone had to bring their focused energy and commitment for a full 90 minutes to get a result. 

The first scoring chance came with 32 minutes left in first half from the Bears, when a missed heading clearance from the Minutemen’s right back landed at senior Jack Gorab’s feet, who played the ball to freshmen Matthew Chow 20 yards out.  Chow dribbled horizontally across the center of the field and sent a curling shot towards the top right corner.  But the Minutemen goalie had seen it the whole way, and made the save. 

Freshman Carl Johan Mix got the ball two times on the right side and sent two well placed crosses into the box with 28 and 27 left to play in the first half.  The Bears tried to battle their way onto a header, but the Minutemen goalie came out to claim it on both opportunities. 

The first chance for Minutemen came with 25 left to play in the first half from movement of the ball through the middle of the pitch towards the left side.  The Umass forward was slipped in on a through ball, and was able to dribble around center and left back Gabe Welp(sophomore) and Mix, slotting the shot to the far post past Junior goalkeeper Erik Hanson.  Down 1-0, the Bears needed to dig deep and find the quality play to put them back in the game.  This wasn’t the first time the Bears had been down a goal in the first half and came back, so they weren’t fazed and kept their focus moving into the second half. 

With 43 min in the second half to play, Gorab got the ball wide on the left side, managed to beat a defender down the line and whip in a dangerous cross that the goalie punched out 10 yards towards the middle of the box.  Junior Mike Leone was waiting for the rebound, and while holding off a defender, tried to volley the bouncing clearance on frame but the shot went just above the crossbar. 

With 24 minutes left in the game, the tiebreaking goal finally came.  Senior Tariq Akeel possessed the ball 20 yards out in the middle of the field, and found Gorab at the edge of the 18.  Gorab received it and played the ball wide to Junior Nate Pomeroy, who was waiting at the corner of the 18 for a one-timed curling shot into the top right corner.  The Bears now had all the momentum and energy geared towards getting that next goal.

With only 10 minutes left to play, the Bears won a corner kick. With Gorab on the ball, a whipped service into the box hit the far post and bounced down into the 6 yard box, with Minutemen desperately trying to clear it.  A poor clearance from Umass sent the ball to Tim Whalen on the near post, who headed it back towards the far post over the goalkeeper to put the Bears up 2-1!  Brown managed to hold to lead for the remaining 10 minutes through lock down defense and communication, improving their overall record to 4-3-0 heading into the Ivy League opener at Columbia.  Browns hard work and perseverance played a huge role in their comeback this weekend, especially bouncing back from a loss two days prior to a talented FGCU.  ROLL BEARS!! 

VS BU

After a hard fought tie against Princeton this past Saturday, the team was looking forward to a big midweek match against 8-2-1 (now 8-3-1) Boston University. We’ve had success against BU in years past, having beaten them five years in a row prior to this meeting. Needless to say, we hoped this year would become the sixth straight victory.

The morning of the game was rainy, so at first it looked to be a dreary day. However, by the time the game kicked off at 7 pm, the sky had cleared up and the temperature was perfect for a night of soccer. Brown controlled the game early, with a few clear chances coming in the first half courtesy of strong running in behind by midfielders such as Mike Leone and Jack Gorab. Will Cross bossed the frontline as per usual and almost got on the end of a cross from Josh Butler. That cross ended up at freshman Matt Chow’s feet who sent it over BU’s keeper to put Brown up 1-0 midway through the first half. The team went into halftime up 1-0 and hungry to put another away, and send the Terriers back to Boston empty handed.

As the second half began, it was clear BU was challenging for an equalizer. We were stuck in our half for a decent period of time and just couldn’t clear the lines. It seemed that a goal was coming, as a BU forward found his way in behind, but Erik Hanson came up with an enormous save to keep Brown in front. As the game began to settle somewhat, Christian Rodriguez stepped hard to a misplaced pass from a BU center back. The ball found Nate Pomeroy’s feet, who went on to score a Rooney-like curler to put Brown up 2-0. An absolute striker’s goal, and a class finish from him. From then on, the team held its position and ended up with the 2-0 result, a needed home victory and shutout. This was truly a team result, with many players contributing to the win.

GSU

After a 3-0 start, we couldn’t wait to head down to Georgia to get our out of region trip started. We knew Georgia State would be a challenge, especially since plane travel and overnight stay traditionally causes some fatigue and discomfort amongst away teams. We flew into Atlanta Friday afternoon in order to practice that night at Georgia state. After a long day of travel, the team was eager to get out onto the pitch and loosen up the legs. GSU had beautiful practice and game fields, which caused excitement level amongst the team to rise even further. Friday night dinner may have been the best part of the trip. We stopped for authentic Atlanta barbeque for some southern cookin’, and even 4 trays of food ran out quicker than expected leaving some of the players disappointed and wanting more. The next day was the day a lot of us had been waiting for since the Holy Cross game. The Holy Cross game wasn’t our best performance and although we won, many of us were anxious to have the opportunity to show how much better we could really play. After the long wait, we arrived at the field an hour early. The field was lined and cut perfectly, and kick off was set for 7pm sharp. We came out strong and aggressive in what ended up being a very back and forth first half. GSU got the first two tallies on the score sheet within the first 30 minutes of play. We then responded with a goal five minutes before the half. At that point many of us watching the game thought we would be going into the half at the mark of 2-1, but we could not have been more wrong. One minute later GSU added a third goal, and one minute before the halftime whistle we answered with a great goal from center forward Will Cross. Conceding three goals in the first half was not what we had hoped for but the two goals we were able to score helped with our confidence. There was still plenty of positive attitude around the team about our opportunity to win the game in the second half. After a couple of adjustments, we came out out of the halftime break with chances and shots on goal coming almost every minute it felt like. GSU really had nothing going offensively for them, but stellar goalkeeping, and a bit of luck managed to keep us off the scorecard for the entirety of the second half. The 3-2 loss for us was very disappointing, but we knew we could take a lot of important lessons away from the game that would definitely benefit us later in the season. Coach reminded us about the importance of staying focused and disciplined early in games, because good division 1 teams will make us pay if we aren’t ready to play, as GSU did. We had to quickly forget about the loss because Clemson is next on the radar…and playing a top 5 team in the country requires our full attention and focus. Go Bruno!

            

FGCU

FGCU was a game the team felt like we needed to win. Coming off losses to Georgia State and Clemson, this game determined whether we would slip down to .500 after starting the season on a tear (3 straight wins).  The team was amped because it also happened to be our first, night home game, and a large crowd was expected.  Needless to say, it was a pretty important game and there definitely was some pressure.

Having traveled down to play FGCU last year in the dead heat and humidity of a Florida summer, I was quite glad to have seasonal Providence temperatures. Coach Laughlin was also happy, as he had to throw away his button down last year due to his profuse sweating and the subsequent sweat stains caused by last year’s overtime showdown. Perhaps what I remembered most about last year’s FGCU game was the fact that their first four players were from Guatemala City, Guatemala. Like last year this FGCU team was also chalk full of Spanish speakers, which provided a nice international flair and opportunity to practice my limited Spanish, “Vamos Brown!”

The team started somewhat flat, but thankfully the score remained tied at 0-0 at the end of the half.  On the contrary, FGCU came out hot and their speedy midfielder’s gave us some trouble from the get-go. Credit goes to the defense first half as Erik Hanson made a few great saves, and the back line played well to keep the shutout. We had a few decent opportunities, but all things considered we were pretty glad to have a blank slate going into the 2^nd half. 

Second half started off with a bang for FGCU. They employed an early cross to a slashing midfielder who headed the ball in to give them a 1-0 lead. This gave us a much-needed wake-up call and after that more chances started to pour in for us. In the 82^nd minute Tariq Akeel was fouled in the box off a throw in. He preceded to net the pk, but the score remained tied for only a couple precarious minutes after which an FGCU scored the deciding goal from the top of the 18. The guy who scored must have had some Irish blood because the ball, hit with his shin, quite miraculously careened off Gabe Welp’s own shin and into the top right corner. They proceeded to shush our raucous fans, and do all the nonsense that opposing fans hate.

The last 4 minutes were one’s of complete desperation that culminated in a quite bizarre ending. With 8 seconds left, a cross into the box appeared to be netted by Tariq after a mad scramble in the box. However, the ref blew his whistle and called a foul on striker Will Cross for knocking over the goalkeeper. Fans and Brown players alike were in uproar and confusion as the elation of tying the game was met by despair and anguish. The tiniest violin played for Brown players as they dejectedly walked off the field to the background sounds of protesting fans.

All in all, the game was pretty disappointing. We lost in front of a large home crowd and fell back to .500 on the season. However, humble pie, although bitter to taste, can be the best thing for an aspiring team. Our play since has markedly improved and set the tone for what has been and should continue to be a successful and thrilling Ivy League season.

The Crusaders

'Twas a gray day in Providence, Rhode Island as the Brown Bears looked set to take on Holy Cross in the Men's Soccer Home Opener.  Holy Cross was coming off of a solid 5-0 rout over Sacred Heart, and were ready to take on any team. The Bears were confident, however, many of them sporting fresh haircuts, namely Erik Hanson and Nico Lozada.  The warmup was sharp and sweaty, much like a sweaty pair of scissors.  It was our first opportunity to show off the new home uniforms, and prove that we actually play soccer and not chess, as I think most of the crowd assumed from our jerseys.  The whistle blew and the battle began.  The game was very chippy on the wet surface, with tackles flying in from all angles.  It was tough for either team to gain periods of sustained possession due to the high pressing from both teams. Eventually, the Bears' pressing paid off: a penalty was called for a handball in the box. Everyone held their breath as Senior Captain Jack Gorab stepped up to take the spot kick.  He buried it in the top corner; the keeper didn't stand a chance.  Everyone rejoiced and eyewitnesses noted that tears of joy were shed by several members of the team, including Trey Thomas and James Myall.  We held on until the final whistle, blocking shots and even sustaining a shot off the crossbar.  But we held on, as the Brown Bears always do.  Coach Laughlin seemed very tense, but I think he was happy that we got the W. 

The Derby

We headed into our second match of the season full of confidence after our win 

against Quinnipiac. We left Brown around 5 to make the short drive to Providence 

College. The atmosphere on the bus was great, as everyone believed we could beat 

the 18th ranked team in the country. 

The stands were full of both Brown and Providence supporters as the game started. 

We had the better of the play for the first 10-15 minutes, and then Providence 

controlled much of the rest of the first half. The score was still locked at zero at 

halftime. 

The second half started and we came out playing very well. We were rewarded for 

our fast start with an early goal in the second half; Nico Lozada sent in a good cross 

into the box, and a Providence defender turned the ball into his own net. A few 

minutes later Providence equalized with a nice volley. We responded well, 

dominating much of the second half. We hit the post twice in the waning minutes, 

but the 90 minutes ended at 1-1. 

It only took Brown 7 minutes to find the net and end the match. Freshman Jack 

Hagstrom battled for the ball in the box after a long throw, and nailed a shot into the 

right corner. We were ecstatic to get the win against a top opponent. The team spirit 

was great after starting the season 2-0.

- Gabe Welp

QPAC

We got on the road in the morning so that we could grab lunch on the way to Quinnipiac. Coach Balaguero hooked us up with our first pregame meal of the season. It was bomb. With a full belly and our minds set on the game, we hopped back on the bus to finish our trek to take on the QPAC. Thanks to the mix from Hanson the bus was bumpin' as we rolled through Hamden, NY. 

The team fought hard in the opening minutes and unsettled the possession-based style of Quinnipiac. Sophomore James Myall and senior Tim Whalen continued to disrupt and win the midfield, making it hard for the Bobcats to get anything going. Early on, chances came from freshmen Matthew Chow and senior Will Cross, who both had good shots on goal. Chances came for the Bears, but a combination of good saves from the Quinnipiac keeper and unfortunate misses left the score at halftime to be 0-0.  

The second half started with both team fighting for an edge and with Quinnipiac giving up several free kick opportunities for the Bears. Then, one of the Bobcat players received a second yellow for a hard challenge just outside their box, resulting in the team going down a man for the last 25 minutes of the game. How hard Quinnipiac continued to fight despite being a man down speaks volumes toward the quality of their play. Quinnipiac had a couple corner kicks in a row, but failed to create a major chance. A couple of saves from junior Erik Hanson also kept the Bobcats from getting on the scoresheet. Despite their best effort, the Bears finally broke the deadlock through Matthew Chow and Tariq Akeel. Tariq made a good run inside the box and played the ball back toward Matthew at the PK spot who hit the ball first time into the far corner. Then shortly after, freshman Carl Johan Mix found Tariq in the box who then headed the ball into the back of the net. The second goal sealed the victory for Brown, and allowed the Bears to start the season off in the best way possible, undefeated with no goals let up.

- Jason P