On a day when the men's soccer team was not on its A-game, scrappiness led the No. 21 Bears past the University of Maine Thursday afternoon at Stevenson Field. The 2-1 victory improved Brown's unblemished record to 3-0, and droped the Black Bears to 1-4 on the season.
Coming off two victories last weekend that gave Bruno the Adidas-Brown Soccer Classic championship, the team hoped to continue its hot start.
The opening minutes proved something of a paradox because, though Brown dictated the pace of the game, it was very careless with the ball. On multiple occasions within the first 20 minutes of the match Brown turned the ball over in the midfield or the backfield, leading to a Maine counterattack.
Fortunately the Black Bears' shots sailed wide on each occasion, and the game remained scoreless.
Players and coaches alike were disappointed with the lethargic start. "It was a good result, but a bad performance," said Head Coach Mike Noonan.
Midfielder Jon Okafor '11 echoed Noonan. "In the first half we came out slow," he said.
Okafor was one of the bright spots, however, as he was continuously able to use his tremendous speed to beat his defender down the right wing, resulting in many dangerous crosses in front of the net.
"I got ahead of the guy marking me," Okafor said. "The guys played me into space and I was able to run onto the ball."
Despite Bruno's opening pressure, Maine scored first on an unusual play. With 23:48 to play in the first half, the Black Bears scored when Maine goalkeeper Nemanja Kostic sent a low, line-drive punt into the Brown half of the field. The ball skipped over Bears midfielder David Walls '11 and onto the foot of Maine striker Dimitri Anastasiou.
He was able to turn to the middle on his defender and fire a shot on the ground from 22 feet that dribbled past Brown goalie Paul Grandstrand '11 and just inside the left post.
The goal gave Maine a little momentum, and the rest of the half was fairly even. The Black Bears threatened again with 11:24 to play in the half when a free kick from just outside the 18-yard box curved around the Bears' five-man wall and hit off the near post.
As the half wound down, it appeared that Bruno would have to regroup in the locker room, but with 30 seconds remaining, a Maine clear was headed back into the box by co-captain defender Steven Sawyer '09.
The ensuing rebound landed at the feet of forward Dylan Sheehan '10, who controlled the ball and then quickly lofted a shot over the goalie and into the top left corner. The goal, Sheehan's third of the season, left him with the team lead in scoring.
Considering the team's sloppy play in the first half, Okafor said the Bears felt fortunate to go into the break tied at 1-1. "We went into the locker room and knew we had to pick it up," he said. "Coach did a good job motivating us too."
Noonan felt that halftime helped the team pick up its play a little bit. "The goal was helpful," Noonan said. "It got us back on level footing. The guys also deserve credit. They came out of the locker room and the bench was much livelier. (Midfielder) Jon Behrendt ('08) was exceptional off the bench."
Brown pressured Maine at the start of the second half. Okafor created a number of opportunities by repeatedly beating his defender down the sideline. Brown drew a number of corner kicks, but was unable to put anything in the back of the net in the first 20 minutes.
Then, with 26:59 to play, Okafor headed midfielder Darren Howerton's '09 long flip throw-in inside the near post to give Brown a 2-1 lead that it would not relinquish.
"It was a great throw by Howie," Okafor said. "I made a run near-post and got a head on it."
The last 20 minutes were controlled by Brown. Walls and Chris Roland '10 patrolled the middle and distributed to the wings. The backs and midfielders finally began to find the forwards' feet, particularly those of Kyle Davies '08.
To seal the deal, Rhett Bernstein '09 consistently extinguished Maine's scoring chances by winning almost every header and tackle. The Bears' solid defense, in conjunction with an overwhelming advantage in possession, stifled any attack from Maine and solidified Brown's third victory.
Though the play was a little lackluster throughout, the team was happy with the win and hopes to continue undefeated. It will take on rival University of Rhode Island at home on Sunday at 1 p.m.
