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Athlete of the week: Captain Maurey ’15.5 ends four-game scoring drought

Senior striker knocks in go-ahead goal in 89th minute, gives Bears first Ivy League win of season

After going 430 minutes without a goal, the men’s soccer team has forward Ben Maurey ’15.5 and his late-game heroics to thank for its 1-0 victory over Columbia last weekend. With just over a minute to play, Maurey pounded a shot into the back of the net off a corner kick from Jack Gorab ’16, propelling Bruno to a win in its Ivy League opener. The decisive goal resulted in a collective sigh of relief for the Bears, who were on the brink of a fourth straight overtime game. It was Maurey’s second goal of the season, and his first tally since Bruno’s opener against Siena College. The Bears will keep the talented forward on the field as they continue conference play this weekend at Princeton. For his efforts in Saturday’s thrilling win, Maurey has been named The Herald’s Athlete of the Week. 

 

Herald: How did you first get into playing soccer? 

Maurey: I started playing soccer when I was about four or five years old, and I’ve been playing travel soccer since I was six. I used to live in New Hampshire, and I started playing for a travel team up there at that time.

 

Why did you end up choosing Brown?

I was looking at a couple schools, and I was trying to make a pick between a school that had a top-25 soccer program consistently and a school that also had very good academics. Because I knew I wanted to try to go to med school, and academics were pretty big for me in high school. So I was trying to find a school that had a balance of both. I was looking at Wake Forest, UNC Wilmington and a couple of other places, and this was just the best fit. They wanted me, and they were the first school to offer me a spot. And I liked it here. It all just kind of fell into place, and it seemed like the perfect fit.

 

Obviously your goal in the Columbia game this past weekend was crucial for this team, what was that moment like for you?

For me, it was huge. We haven’t been scoring a lot of goals, and being someone who has scored in the past, it was huge for me to get that second goal of the season. I haven’t scored since the first game so it was much needed to get our momentum going. Also it’s huge scoring in the Ivy League because those are the games that, right now, are very important. We’re trying to win a league title, and that’s something that’s very hard to do. We’ve had some great teams while I’ve been here, but we’ve only won the Ivy League once. To start off with a win and be the person to get the goal that propels it all is one of the greatest feelings ever.

 

What does it mean for this team to get off to a winning start in Ivy League play?

It’s huge. Since I’ve been here, only in one other year have we beaten Columbia. And like I said, we have had some great teams. My freshman year, the year we won the Ivy League, we actually lost our first game to Columbia. They are a very good opponent. They’re a team that will win a bunch of Ivy League games. You never want to be the team that loses to them, because they can hurt your season. So it’s good to start off with a win against them. And it’s always good to have momentum, especially going away to Princeton. We haven’t beaten them in the last five years. So going in with our heads high and with this momentum is huge.

 

What’s your strangest pre-game ritual?

I’m very, very superstitious. I eat the same breakfast every single time; I eat the same meals throughout the whole day. I put my clothes on in the exact same order. I have to do the exact same stretching routine before I put my clothes on and out on the field. Every single time, it does not change. And new superstitions are added all the time.

 

If you played any other sport, what would it be?

In the past I’ve played baseball and basketball, but if I had the choice, I’d play hockey. I’m an avid hockey fan, season ticket holder for the Flyers. It’s probably my favorite sport. The Stanley Cup is my favorite event other than the World Cup.

 

And lastly, what is your favorite soccer team? And favorite team in general? 

My favorite sports team in general is the Flyers. I’m not afraid to say that even though I’m a soccer player, I don’t have a favorite soccer team. I have favorite soccer players that I like to follow. I’m a big fan of Zlatan Ibrahimović and Mario Balotelli, because they play the same position as me. They are big target forwards, and they are some of the best in the world at what they do, especially for being my size, which is not very common in soccer. So they are people that I look up to. I follow them more than a specific team, but in general I just like watching teams that play good soccer.

 

This interview has been edited for clarity and length.

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