Following a tie against Harvard last weekend, the men’s soccer team stayed on the road to face the Cornell Big Red in its fourth Ivy League match of the season. Brown was unable to get past Cornell’s strong defense and fell 1-0 in double overtime.
Both Bruno (6-4-2, 1-2-1 Ivy) and the Big Red (7-5-2, 2-1-1) came into the game in a four-way tie for third place in the Ivy League with Yale and Harvard. With the overtime loss, the Bears fall into a three-way tie with Yale and Penn for fifth place.
“They took advantage of their moments and we failed to do so,” said Toby Howell ’19. “It hurts, but that’s the reality of this league.”
The start of the game was marked by strong defense, with both squads unable to create a threatening scoring opportunity. In the 10th minute, Howell was able to slice through the defense in the 18-yard box and send a powerful shot that was barely saved by Big Red goalkeeper Mitchell Meyer.
In the 17th minute, Tyler Bagley managed to lose his defensive marker and get loose with a great opportunity against Bears goalkeeper Joey Cipicchio ’18. But Bagley was unable to accurately place the shot and sent it high of the net, keeping the game knotted at zero.
At halftime, the game was still locked in a scoreless tie, with Bruno leading in shots 7-4. The half was extremely physical, as the teams combined for 11 fouls and each earned a yellow card.
The second half started similarly to the first, as neither side was able to generate a scoring opportunity. The Bears earned a few corner kicks that were all fiercely challenged by the Big Red defense. Quinn English ’18 was able to break through and send a shot toward goal, but it landed straight into the chest of Meyer for another save.
As the second half continued, strong midfield play dominated the game, with both teams battling for possession between the 18-yard boxes.
In the 76th minute, Caleb McAuslan sent a shot from the top right of the 18-yard box that the Bears’ defense managed to block to preserve the tie as overtime neared. After 90 minutes of hard-fought play, Brown led Cornell in shots 15-13 and shots on goal 6-2. Both teams combined for 22 fouls with Bruno receiving two yellow cards and the Big Red receiving one.
In overtime, Vardhin Manoj almost ended play with a volley directly in front of Cipicchio, but the Bears were able to recover and the game continued. Cornell dominated possession in the first overtime, but was unable to capitalize and finish off the Bears.
The second overtime was short-lived, as the Big Red used their momentum from the first overtime to score a mere minute into the second period. A cross from outside the 18-yard box created a scrum in front of the goal, allowing Ryan Hill to come out of the pack with the ball and end the game with a low-shot that squeaked past Cipicchio.
“I can confidently say that no team will ever outwork us, so that’s something to hold on to moving forward,” Howell said. “We have to get better in front of the goal and that’s what we’ll be working on for the rest of the season. We’re not quitting.”
The Bears will return home to Stevenson-Pincince Field Tuesday to face University of Massachusetts Lowell at 7 p.m. before continuing Ivy League play at home against Penn on Saturday at 7 p.m.
