Football
The first-place Bears (5-2, 4-0 Ivy) are currently the only undefeated team left in the Ivy League. They host Yale (4-3, 2-2) in a crucial Ivy League matchup at 12:30 p.m. at Brown Stadium.
Coming off of a crucial 34-27 road win over Penn last Saturday, Bruno is 4-0 in the Ivy League for the first time in school history, and a win over Yale would put the Bears in a great position to win the Ivy League title for the first time since 2005.
On offense, the Bears are led at quarterback by Ivy League Offensive Player of the Week Michael Dougherty '09 and by receivers Buddy Farnham '10 and Bobby Sewall '10. The trio is the catalyst for the team's potent offense, which is averaging 360.1 yards per game, including 271.9 passing yards, good for 14th in the nation. But the Bears will face a tough challenge against the Elis' stingy defense, which is ranked No. 1 in the Football Championship Subdivision, allowing only 13.1 points per game. A key to the game is winning the turnover battle, as Brown will need to be extra careful throwing against Yale, which leads the Ivy League in takeaways (20), interceptions (14) and sacks per game (2.43).
Men's and women's soccer
The men's and women's soccer teams host a doubleheader on Saturday, when both teams take on Yale in their final home games of the season, at Stevenson Field. The men take on the Bulldogs at 4:30 p.m. and the women have the evening matchup at 7 p.m.
The men (9-5-1, 3-2) host Yale (6-7-2, 2-3) in their penultimate game of the season, looking to bounce back after a difficult 4-0 loss to Penn on Saturday. The game will be the last chance to win in front of a home crowd for the Bears' six seniors, so fans can expect Bruno to come out fired up right from the start.
The women (6-6-4, 2-3-1) play the Bulldogs (8-6-2, 2-3-1) in the Bears' final game of the season. After Bruno's thrilling 1-0 overtime victory over Penn last weekend, both teams enter Saturday's contest tied for fifth place in the league standings, so expect a competitive game that could go down to the wire. The women also boast six seniors playing their last game in a Brown uniform, and the team may be playing extra hard to try to send them off with a win.
Women's ice hockey
Coming off of their first win of the season by dominating league rival Union by a score of 4-1, the Bears (1-2-1) are headed into their first home games of the season full of confidence. Brown will face two tough teams in Clarkson (2-4-2), at 7 p.m. on Friday, and St. Lawrence (3-1-2), at 4 p.m. on Saturday, both at Meehan Auditorium.
After tying national powerhouse St. Cloud State in the opening weekend of play, the Bears have reason to be excited about their prospects this season. With captain and Herald Sports Staff Writer Nicole Stock '09 averaging 40 saves per game between the goalposts this season, Bruno's defense gives the team a chance to win every game. Brown has also benefited from a well-rounded offense, as five different players have scored goals in the team's first four games. The Bears are hungry to prove themselves this year, so look for the team to bring a lot of intensity this weekend.
Volleyball
The volleyball team (11-11, 3-7) takes on Cornell (7-14, 6-4) on Friday at 7 p.m. and Columbia (6-14, 0-10) on Saturday at 4 p.m. The team's final home games of the season will be played at the Pizzitola Center.
Coming off tough losses to Harvard and Dartmouth last weekend, the Bears are eager to get back on the winning track and get wins for their two seniors, co-captains Lyndse Yess '09 - also a Herald business staffer - and Natalie Meyers '09, in the final home matches of their careers.
