Graven Title Hopes In New Haven

Bruno was on the road for it’s final regular season bout against yet another formidable Ivy League opponent: Yale.  Coming off of a win at home against Penn in the first snowstorm of the year; Brown was feeling confident traveling a few short hours to CT for a 7 PM kick-off.  The Bulldogs were looking to rebound from a disappointing loss at Columbia and keep their title hopes alive with a win at home. 

Upon arrival the boys’ had a bit of time to kill and rather than waiting it to pass they opted to wander out to the pitch and support their fellow Bears.  The Women’s team was in the midst of an Ivy showdown with hopes of finishing third in the league.  Showing their pride in Bruno, the boys’ cheered loudly until late in the second period when they returned to the locker room to begin preparation for the match. 

Bruno took the field as their own with 7 shots and 7 corners in the first segment.  The Bears were in rare form; the best football of the season coming at the perfect time.  Gorman was storming down the left side in dominating fashion, whipping in crosses or laying it off for one of Remick's relentless runs out of the back.  Rosa and Pops were swarming Yale’s defense with constant pressure forcing mistakes but unfortunately they could not capitalize on them.  Bobby Thalman was looking more like Van Der Sar, picking balls out of every corner of the frame.    With the amount of opportunities received and Yale’s lack there of, it would have been a travesty for the Bears to drop this game. 

In the second half the 562 in attendance were silenced as the Bears pummeled the Bulldogs with 9 more shots and 6 corners.  Nothing seemed to find the net other than a controversial call, which pulled a Bruno goal back in the first.  Thalman continued to have the game of his life being credited with 5 saves which seemed more like 12.  The Boys’ were determined to get a result; Mandel was putting together another great performance recording the most shots on goal over the course of the match.  He had their left back on his heels and continued to create opportunities throughout. 

Finally, a ball served into the box was slapped down by a Yale defender leading to a penalty in the second minute of the first overtime.  Mandel was “cold-blooded”, composed, and confident as he approached another one of his favorite set pieces.  He buried it into the net past Thalman, for his second game-winner in as many Ivy contests to set the stage for a championship match up on Stevenson.  

Penn @ Brown - By Senior Mike Manella

Brown v. Penn

October 29^th, 2011

As the Brown Men’s Soccer team emerged from a curtain of white snow and entered the gates of Stevenson Field amidst the first snowstorm of 2011, it was clear that the evening’s spectacle would be a memorable event.  Pushing through sleet and pile-ups of snow and mud, Bruno fought to chip, drive, and scrap together passes in the worst weather conditions they had faced all season.  No training session could have prepared them more for this type of game.  The mentality of the players and the determination of the coaching staff and referees to have the game played despite other Ivy League games being postponed gave Bruno the opportunity to prove why they wanted to be Ivy Champions.

For three years in a row the Bruno seniors came up short against Penn, but this year the seniors would get their chance to get a positive result and start a new trend for seasons to come. 

The Penn Quakers made the most of their discomfort against the relentless sky, and when the game began both teams felt that one slip, one deflected shot from distance, or one snow-diving tackle through an opponent might be the small difference in this big fixture.

The first half saw chances for both sides as forwards Sean Rosa and TJ Popolizio struck towards goal several times after good ball movement and runs to support the attacks created the best possible chances.  A Penn forward broke through the Bruno back line early in the half, but Sam Kernan-Schloss came through with a big save in the chest.  Sam rallied his teammates to keep their focus and eyes on the ball, which never took a natural bounce the whole game.  Outside midfielders Taylor Gorman and Daniel Taylor were able to find their footing in the snow before the Quaker wingers, and allowed Brown to control much of the first half play.  For anyone playing or watching, and not that anyone could actually see clearly, it was easy to tell that there would be no clean strikes on goal tonight.

The second half showed that both teams had realized how to use the surface, and much of the running was straight up and down with balls played hard and high towards the opposing backlines.  Bruno began to take control of the game after fifteen minutes as substitutes entered the storm to make a positive impact.  Excited by both the opportunity to play in a game with such a rare atmosphere, as well as a chance to regain feeling in fingers and toes, the Bruno substitutes worked hard to get the ball forward and into dangerous areas.

The game was a battle of the boxes, and as legs began to tire for both sides halfway through the second half Bruno struck a ball from the left side into the box hoping for a chance on net.  The chance that counted most finally came.

Credit for the goal must be given to Taylor Gorman, who made a long run through the snow piles to get forward into the box and sacrificed his body to the early lunge from the Penn central defender.  Gorman was able to poke the ball away just as the defender misjudged the path of a through pass from the top of the box.  The ball stopped in the snow, and the Penn defender’s challenge carried his right leg through Gorman’s ankles.  A clear penalty for the referee to give from ten yards away.

As the referee blew the whistle and pointed to the spot, senior forward, Austin Mandel, a corner-kick, free-kick, and penalty-kick specialist, sprinted as fast as he could to grab the ball and stake his claim on his favorite set piece.  And of course, “Raaandy”, as he is called on the team, side-netted a well-struck penalty past the Penn goalkeeper that warmed the limbs of all Brown supporters braving winter’s wrath that evening.

Raaandy’s strike proved to be the 1-0 difference Bruno needed to secure another Ivy League victory.  Substitutes relieving Brown starters continued to bring the energy and effort that was necessary for the last half hour until the final whistle was blown to secure the crucial three points.

Certainly a game and night to remember for all in attendance, but Bruno had moved on to thoughts of Yale as soon as they left the pitch and the important training and focus necessary to continue to strive for an Ivy Title.

Ivy in Ithaca - by Junior GK Sam Kernan-Schloss

Ithaca, NY: though beautiful, it sure is one gloomy, far, cold place to travel for a weekend. However, there was one bright thing about the trip: another chance and another opportunity to make our mark in the Ivy League. Oh, well I guess there were two bright spots; the second being a gourmet, Italian meal from the Popolizio family. Similar to the trip two years ago, the team embarked on our journey early Friday afternoon so that we could stop for a solid, “day before the day” training session. At about 3pm on Friday, we pulled into the TJ Popolizio Memorial Soccer Complex in Clifton Park, NY. The streets were lined with fans and even the local news station came out to document the return of their homegrown star: Pops. No, that didn’t actually happen, but I personally was half expecting that to be the case. After a solid training session, we did nevertheless, get treated to some homemade chicken parm, ziti, Italian meatballs, and cookies. We may as well have been important enough to bring the local news crew out…. Mr. and Mrs. Popolizio served us well and we were very grateful to be getting back on the bus with a full stomach. Next stop, Ithaca.

Cornell Men’s Soccer was flying high, having the season of their lives. At 8-1-3, Cornell was on an 11 game unbeaten streak going into our Saturday afternoon game. Still full and energized from our meal in Clifton Park, the team departed the hotel at 1:45 ready for a battle. We were prepared for the kick ball, the long throw, the 3,4,5,6, maybe 7 different Cornell strikers we would face. Sure enough, 4 minutes into the game, Cornell had subbed their starting forward for a new fresh pair of legs. Bruno controlled the first half, with Rob Medairos and Evan Coleman destroying the center of the park, and Dylan Remick and Alex Markes ready for any long ball into the channels. We were well prepared. The defense once again kept me safe, going into the halftime break with the scoreboard reading 0s.

The second half did not begin the way we would have hoped. The home side got on the board early with a glancing header after the ball had been cleared and reserved from a Cornell corner kick. Having been down 1-0 before, everyone on Brown knew we could come back. What we didn’t know was that we would level the score only minutes later with a classy finish from our 6 foot 10 inch freshman forward, Ben Maurey. After Sean Rosa won us a corner, Jay Hayward, like he has so many times in his career, stepped up to take it. Maurey got free at the front post and knocked in his first collegiate goal from an exceptionally slight angle. Bruno and Cornell were level again. The half ended with some back-and-forth play. The team had a glorious chance in the final few minutes but couldn’t find a way to sneak out the win. Both overtime periods saw much of the same, with both teams looking to get out with some sort of a result. The game ended 1-1. Needless to say, we weren’t HAPPY with the tie but after a 6 hour bus ride and against a team that plays little of the beautiful game, it was a respectable outcome.

            Next up on the Ivy League slate: Brown vs Penn at the confines of Stevenson Field in Providence.

Holy Cross - a view from First Year Daniel Taylor

After a grueling battle against Cornell and a few good acappellas from the first time travelers, including one from myself which seemed to be quite monotone and another from Ben “6’9” 320” Maurey.  We had only one practice till our next battle against Holy Cross.  This game was special because everyone was allowed to travel. More than other away games, I noticed how many more people were doing work pregame, which is most likely due to the fact that it was on a Tuesday and many people such as myself had exams the next day. Coach came to the back of the bus to gave his pregame speech: “Be ready to play… no excuses… ” after which he stated the started line-up.

We got to the field and it was without a doubt the coldest environment we had played in yet, so the starters really had to be ready to play when the whistle blew. We had a decent warm-up and it was good to have the whole team there to get us hyped up.

We started the game very well, keeping the ball moving and using our back line to keep possession. This was a great opportunity for me to gain confidence and every touch helped. We had a few great opportunities off of crosses to get the first goal, as well as others that our forwards made for themselves. Defensively, Holy cross only threatened us with a couple moments of individual play, including a shot just right of the goal, but other than that E-Rob and Rough McDuff were their usual beastly selves and kept the back in tact in the first half. At half time we were all quite confident in our ability to win the game, we just had to play smart and finish one of opportunities. In the second half we got a more looks at the net while keeping most of the possession, including a few long distance shots and some missed headers but we just couldn’t get the ball in the net. We all had that feeling that one of them would go in. It wasn’t till the first overtime that Eric Robertson somehow hit a backwards header off a corner. I admit even I was confused on who scored when we all rushed the field, I ended up jumping on pops because it seemed like he scored due to the fact that he was celebrating the most.

It wasn’t our biggest win of the season; we new the score could have been by more but we were happy we won and performed well. After the game we all rushed inside and hit the showers and changed as fast as possible due to the fact, like I said, it was a Tuesday and we all needed to get back to work. Everyone was happy with the win, but at least in my mind, once I was on the bus I was thinking about the test I had the next day, and the battle against U Penn coming up. Our game against Holy Cross showed a combination of good soccer as well as intense scrapping, which was great to see. 

Crimson - A View from Senior Captain Taylor Gorman

As a BMS player you learn to enjoy every win because all of them are hard earned and the satisfaction is short lived. However, a win versus the Harvard “Crimson” is unlike any other.

On Tuesday morning, after a thrilling 3-2 overtime victory against Princeton the squad was excited and ready to begin preparations for what would surely be another competitive Ivy contest. Although the early morning wake up had produced some sleepy faces, it did not take long for the players to bring the energy to training that would be needed to beat Harvard on the upcoming weekend. As the week progressed the quality and intensity picked up. The level of anticipation grew steadily until finally it was the day before the day. The team had a focused practiced that ended with a little comical relief with Weiner skying a penalty that would surely have outdistanced his best goal kick all year. The best week of training all year concluded with the team rolling on the ground laughing at the hilarious penalty attempt.

The next day flew by and soon the team was boarding the bus for Harvard. After the short trip up 95, we had arrived. As the stands filled and the bright lights illuminated the field it surely seemed like it was going to be a night to remember. The game started fast with flying tackles and aerial battles. Immediately it was apparent that the team had brought “Scrap City” to Harvard’s field. Although the night didn’t end up producing electrifying soccer it did produce one fantastic moment. Around 30 minutes into the game TJ “Scrap Man” Pops slipped a ball into Evan “The Legend” Coleman at the top of the box. With defenders closing around him “Old Man” Coleman did his best Pops impression and toe picked a glorious finish into the bottom left corner which stunned the Crimson keeper and fans. As Coleman did his patented “lose your mind” celebration the Brown fans and alumni erupted into cheers. The second half saw the Brown back line defending the Alamo and when the final whistle blew we had done it. First victory against Harvard in 4 years and it felt just as good as we thought it would. After embracing family and friends as we left the pitch, the team hopped on the bus and headed home to celebrate a victory unlike any other.

Tigers Tamed.

As Pops would put it: “it was the night of the night”.

A desperate Princeton squad took Stevenson on Saturday night.  A team that relies on it’s front runners heavily to be the source of their attack.  Unfortunately for them they needed to match up with two Brown CB’s whom they would get to know a little more than they’d like over the course of the match.  It was a game neither team could afford to drop.  The team appeared focused and it showed in the first half.  

A good crowd filled the stands at Stevenson and cheered the boys on as they faced yet another worthy opponent.  As usual, the decisions refereeing the match were quite original, and the boys were forced to battle through adversity.  We all know, it’s hard to get a referee that everyone likes…(We just want one we like…once in a while).  That being said, the referees did not decide the match. 

Our Bears had the majority of quality moments through out the first segment barring free kicks and long throws by the opponent.  Even though we had the best of play in the first, we headed to the locker room even 1-1.

Re-taking the field feeling sluggish was regrettable.  Princeton capitalized on a miss-communication a few moments into the second half. 

The next 30 minutes or so were hard to watch.  The boys were fighting for every moment, but failed to create anything of quality.  In need of a heroic effort Hayward sent in a curving service and Pop’s rose up from a crowd to finish the tying goal less than 10 minutes before the end of regulation.  With the momentum heading into overtime, the boys’ took the field with confidence.  Less than two minutes into the first overtime, Pops finishes another; finishing the game; sending a message to the rest of the Ivy that: Brown has it’s eyes re-focused on a league title.  Brown 3 Princeton 2.

Queens, NY

It was a chilly night at Belson Stadium.  I had three layers on myself, Coach Groves only one; I assume still heated from the last trip.  As a staff we were confident in our game plan and that the boys' would execute. The approach was a decision the team needed to make…

Hayward brought Step Brothers from his movie collection.  After an overwhelming vote the DVD was delivered by a first-year from the back of the bus.  The boys couldn’t get enough. The staff looked around awkwardly, unsure whether to laugh or disapprove.

After a pre-game meal at Joe’s Fleetwood Pizza we filed back onto the bus headed for Belson.  It was a stressful affair sitting in bumper to bumper traffic for over 45 minutes (lot’s of nail-biting, and anxious glancing at the wrist watch). It put us in a time crunch forcing our shortest warm-up routine of the season. 

Arising from hibernation the boys were lively and ready to get back on track.  Two trips to NYC in 4 short days can take a toll on the body, but the team was up to the challenge.  Surprisingly, they were full of energy and ready to take on a worthy opponent.

The game began with one of Rob’s signature tackles at mid-field, sparking a cheer from the bench.  The red storm seemed tamed to a light drizzle throughout the first segment.  Both amount of possession and opportunities on goal were close to even.  We were connecting passes well and looked composed on the ball facing a team who had conceded just 1 goal at home this season.  It all came down to the mindset.  The Bears showed as a team with something to prove after the previous weekend’s result. 

Several players contributed to a quality team effort earning a well-deserved tie on the road.  Duff and E-rob held off every attack in the back from a highly talented St. John’s front line, which was able to test SKS on a few occasions; he dealt with them successfully tallying the third shutout of his career. 

The boys’ fought hard through the overtime periods.  Heads were held high upon exiting the stadium.  St. John’s 0 Brown 0.