After dropping a conference match at Princeton on Saturday, 1-0, the women's soccer team returned to Stevenson Field and shutout intrastate rival University of Rhode Island 3-0 on Wednesday afternoon. Earlier last week, the Bears defeated Holy Cross 2-0.
Brown 2, Holy Cross 0
Stevenson Field was cold, rainy and dirty last Wednesday afternoon, but the Bears (6-4-3, 0-2-1 Ivy League) never looked cleaner. The weather delayed the start of the game by 20 minutes, but one could feel the buzz of anticipation from the stands. Bruno went out on a mission, playing fearlessly and coming away with a 2-0 victory against Holy Cross (3-7-2).
After a week of frustrating ties, Brown was ready to do something different.
"Our games have really just been battles," said Eliza Marshall '13 before the Holy Cross game. "We've been working hard and playing well but just aren't quite getting the ball into the back of the net."
Their frustration was transformed into hard work and aggressive play on Wednesday afternoon.
It took the better part of the first half to get used to the rainy conditions, but the Bears didn't shy away from the weather. They went after every ball and were rewarded for their hustle. They took 14 shots to the Crusaders' four, becoming more and more dangerous every minute of the half. With nine minutes remaining in the first half, midfielder Maddie Wiener '14 took three consecutive corner kicks, putting the Holy Cross defense on high alert. The Bears kept the pressure on,and three minutes later, Wiener received a pass from back Allison Kagawa '12 and scored her first career goal on a high shot from 35 yards out.
The energy the Bears had at kickoff never wavered, as they entered the second half with the same intensity and quickly doubled their lead. Wiener only needed three minutes of the second half to get a second career goal under her belt. She scored on a pass from forward Louisa Pitney '14 to increase Bruno's margin over the Crusaders and secure the win.
Princeton 1, Brown 0
The Bears traveled to Princeton on Saturday afternoon to face the Tigers (8-4-0, 3-0-0). The teams were evenly matched, and the game came down to a single goal by Princeton defender Kacie Kergides late in the first half. Kergides' goal came from a corner kick, of which each team earned only two throughout the game. The shot count favored the Tigers, 10-6, and the Bears struggled to get anything going offensively. Princeton goalkeeper Kristin Watson made five saves on the day, and Bruno goalie MC Barrett '14 made two saves in her half of work.
Brown 3, University of Rhode Island 0
On a much more pleasant Wednesday afternoon, the Bears exploded for three second-half goals against URI (1-11-1). Both squads started out slowly, with the Bears registering five shots to the Rams' two in the first half.
But the second 45 minutes were a different story. Three minutes in, Wiener, the newly named Ivy League rookie of the week, converted a free kick from 18 yards out to break the scoreless tie. Less than a minute later, Wiener notched an assist, as she passed to midfielder Gina Walker '11, who one-timed it past goalkeeper Brooke Messier. Bruno kept up the pressure and built up a 9-1 shot advantage in the second half. In the 69th minute, the Bears converted another free kick, when midfielder-forward Mika Siegelman '14 curled her shot into the left corner of the net to widen the advantage.
Bruno's next contest comes against Harvard on Saturday at 2 p.m. The team will look for its first conference victory of the season.
