With fog thick in the air, the weather may have been a little reminiscent of home for defender David Walls '11, who hails from England, at the No. 13 men's soccer game Tuesday night. Brown (10-1-3) battled through the thick air to pick up a 2-0 victory over Holy Cross (3-10-3).
"We're used to training in the rain, and we're used to training in the wind," Walls said. "We have fun whenever we play."
Bruno welcomed back forward Jon Okafor '11 from a hamstring injury. He stayed in the game just long enough to score the first goal at the 28:12 mark. After Walls drilled the ball at the net from the top of the box, midfielder Evan Coleman '12 finessed the ball to Okafor, who put it away.
"Tonight Brown made things difficult for us, especially early in the game," said Holy Cross Head Coach Ted Priestly. "Getting used to the speed and level that Brown plays at was hard for us."
Brown dominated the attack on the field throughout the entire game. The Bears took an astounding 28 shots on goal, compared to a mere six by the Crusaders. But an almost unbelievable showing by the Holy Cross defense held Bruno to one point in the first half, clearing three Brown shots in a matter of 10 seconds.
"Give Holy Cross credit. They must have cleared the ball off the line six or seven times," said Brown Head Coach Pat Laughlin. "That really attests to their never-say-die attitude."
Midfielder Jay Hayward '12 headed the ball over the Holy Cross goalie early in the second, giving him his first goal of the season.
"I've been struggling a lot getting in and making the team," Hayward said. "My teammates have really been helping and pushing me."
A notable addition to Brown's squad is former player and new assistant coach Cory Gibbs '01. Gibbs helped the Bears to an Ivy championship and Elite Eight appearance in 2000. He was also a First-Team All-American selection that year.
Gibbs, who currently plays for the New England Revolution, was a 2006 member of the FIFA World Cup team but was replaced after being injured.
"It's great to have a person who is so passionate about soccer and so passionate about Brown," Laughlin said. "Our team can do nothing but learn from a guy who was a great college player and still is a great professional player."
Bruno travels to Philadelphia this Saturday for a 7:30 p.m. matchup against the No. 14 Penn Quakers. The game will be a major factor in who wins this year's Ivy crown. Brown, 2-1-1 in the Ivy League, trails Penn and No. 20 Princeton (both 4-0) in the standings.
