For the third weekend in a row, the men's soccer team (3-2-2) faced stiff competition in tournament play, this time on the other side of the country. The Bears played two double-overtime matches, both of which ended in scoreless ties against No. 4 University of California-Berkeley and No. 5 Stanford University.
"It was the first time in my career that we've gone to the West Coast and come away with two results against teams ranked that highly," said Head Coach Mike Noonan. "They are not the best results, obviously, but I feel that the team played well in spells."
The two ties extended Brown's unbeaten streak to five games.
"It would have been great to win at least one of those games," said Ibrahim Diane '06. "To tie against two top-ranked teams is good, but not great."
On Friday, Brown squared off against an undefeated UC-Berkeley team that had only allowed two goals in six games. Although Berkeley out-shot Brown 13-6, the game proved to be very close, thanks in part to the seven-save performance of goalie and co-captain Chris Gomez '05.
"It was the best game I've seen Gomez play in my two years playing here," said Andrew Daniels '07. "There was one save he had in the second overtime when he blocked a head ball from six or seven yards out, and even the opposing players were awed."
In addition to the game-saving stop in sudden-death overtime, Gomez thwarted a Berkeley breakaway chance in the first half.
Brown started the game a bit slowly but was able to mount some pressure on the Berkeley defense and create offensive opportunities.
"In the first half, we had our chances, but their goalkeeper made some saves, and we had a few point-blank shots in overtime," Noonan said.
Unlike Brown's previous game against a physical Duquesne University team, Friday's match against Cal featured a more finessed style of soccer.
"Cal played a controlled tempo and a very passing-oriented game," said Assistant Coach Scott Wiercinski. "We bring a faster pace to the game, so we had a little comfort with the ball. When we were on it, we could make some passes and dictate possession."
Still, Brown had some trouble controlling the ball.
"There were times when we were turning over the ball, but when we got into the swing of things we were knocking the ball and moving it real well," Wiercinski said.
Both teams had chances to score in the two 15-minute overtime periods, but after 110 minutes, the game ended in a tie, and Brown became the first team of the year to blank Berkeley.
On Sunday, the Bears came out energized against a Stanford squad ranked higher than the one Brown defeated at home last year.
"We played most of the second half in their end of the field. They only had two shots, both of which were easily stopped," Wiercinski said.
Despite having played a double-overtime game on Friday, the Bears were able to maintain pressure on Stanford throughout the second half and the overtime periods, out-shooting Stanford 9-6 and holding a 6-4 advantage in corner kicks.
"It really speaks to the fitness of the guys and the work we do with them in the preseason," Wiercinski said. "It felt like we ran out of time. Had we played a few more minutes, it felt like we would have had (a goal)."
Co-captain Jeff Larentowicz '05 and leading scorer Keith Caldwell '06 registered three shots each, but, like the rest of the Brown squad, they were unable to find the back of the net.
"When you play tougher teams and can't find goals, that's a concern," Noonan said.
On the defensive side of the ball, the Bears were impressive, staying organized and communicating well, which had been a problem in allowing a goal in each of the previous weekend's games.
"When they perceive a challenge, they become more focused and concentrated," Noonan said. "Unfortunately that's a characteristic of a young team, instead of having consistent performances game in and game out. Not having any lapses is the sign of a championship team."
The Bears now move into the core of their schedule, where they will face all of the Ivy League teams and several regional teams.
"This weekend we did a good job adjusting to a more tactical and technical game than we had seen the week before," Diane said. "So far we've played on the spectrum of how you can play soccer from left to right, against every style of team."
Today, the Bears will be looking to avenge last year's home loss against the University of Rhode Island as the team heads to Kingston to face the Rams.
"We have to do a better job creating chances against URI," Diane said. "This past weekend we created some, but they didn't go in. That's soccer - you can't score all of them."
