Only 90 minutes stand between the men's soccer team and its season-long goal — winning the Ivy League title. The Bears (10-4-2, 4-1-1 Ivy) are set to face Ivy rival Dartmouth (8-5-3, 4-1-1) Saturday at Stevenson Field in a match that will decide who claims the league crown. The championship would be Bruno's first since the 2007 season and would also grant the Bears an automatic bid to the NCAA Tournament. But for the moment, the team is trying to focus on the task at hand.
"We're taking it like just another league game because we don't want to overthink it," said Sean Rosa '12.
Reaching this game has been a year-long process for the Bears. The team had a difficult end to September, losing three out of four games, including a 5-1 loss to the University of Kentucky. But Bruno has not lost a game since Oct. 1.
"We're a scrappy team," said Alex Markes '15. "We pull out those 1-0, 2-1 overtime wins. Small things like that have got us here and will hopefully let us beat Dartmouth, too."
"We really picked up the first two weeks in October, and we've just ridden that," Rosa said. "We're starting to peak at a good time."
Individual players at both ends of the field have been stepping up. Forward Austin Mandel '12 scored game-winning goals against Penn and Yale last week, and Markes won Rookie of the Week honors for his staunch defensive play in the two shutout victories. The pair will look to continue their successes against a formidable Big Green side.
"They're a very strong team," said Head Coach Patrick Laughlin. "They have one of the best strikers in the Ivy League, probably one of the best strikers to ever play at Dartmouth. … Beyond him, they are a well-organized, well-coached team. They're coming here expecting to give us a really difficult challenge, and I know they will."
Bruno's eight seniors will be recognized before kickoff Saturday in what will be their last game at Stevenson Field. In their four years, the group played through multiple coaching changes and was a key part of two NCAA Tournament runs.
"Last year, we had great NCAA success," Rosa said. "But we felt we were never really able to achieve success in the Ivy League, and I think this year is our year, finally."
But the league champion might turn out to be neither Brown nor Dartmouth. Cornell could clinch the conference with a win of its own and a tie between the Bears and Big Green. With both teams playing to win, Stevenson Field should be rocking when the players step on the field for the 4 p.m. kickoff.
"It's a coming together of everything we've worked on and learned this year," Laughlin said. "I want them to enjoy the game and have fun and compete and get out there and do the best they can. Whatever the result is, that's fine. If you can look at yourself at the end of the game and say, ‘We've done everything we can to be successful,' then that's a good day."
