The men's soccer team stayed undefeated and perfect on the defensive side this weekend after two closely contested games in the Brown Soccer Classic. The Bears shut out the University of South Carolina 1-0 and drew 0-0 against Hofstra.
Brown 1, University of South Carolina 0
Brown (2-0-2) took the field with determination Friday night against the University of South Carolina. After 82 minutes of competitive play, the hard work paid off, as forward Sean Rosa '12 scored the first and only goal of the game.
The match involved much back-and-forth action across the field and was very physical, with 12 fouls in the first half alone.
In a postgame interview posted by Brown Athletics, co-captain and defender David Walls '11 commended the team's continuous energy.
"We kept going till the end," Walls said. "We had a few chances and eventually we got one."
Goalkeeper Paul Grandstrand '11 continued his perfect work in the goal with five saves.
"We tried real hard and communicated well," Walls said. "It was great to be part of that performance."
Brown 0, Hofstra 0
The Bears took the field again on Sunday afternoon to play Hofstra in their second game of the Brown Soccer Classic.
In comparison to Friday night's performance, the Bears started out slower than they wanted.
"The game started out rough," said defender Ryan McDuff '13. "It was after just one day of rest, and we had such a great crowd Friday night (that) it took a while for the energy to pick up."
But the intensity increased in the second half.
"At halftime, coach gave us some inspiration and some minor fixes," McDuff said. "Mostly, he said to show some passion and energy, and after that, we did."
Both teams played aggressively and physically throughout the second half. Brown had several good crosses that passed right in front of the goal. The Bears put two balls in the net, but both goals were disallowed because of offside calls, causing an uproar from the animated fans. The score remained at 0-0 at the end of double overtime.
McDuff was optimistic about the team's performance after the game. "Our defense has been playing really well, not allowing any goals in our first four games," he said. "And our offense has been creating chances. We just have to be more efficient."
Head Coach Patrick Laughlin also encouraged the team to think positively about the result, McDuff said.
"After the game, coach said we can't be disappointed," McDuff said. "We had the ball in our court. We are the ones that have to make the plays."
