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.