The men’s soccer team registered two hard-fought losses this weekend after falling to the University of Washington 1-0 Friday night at home and to Hofstra University 2-1 in Hempstead, N.Y. Sunday in double overtime.
The No. 25 Bears (1-2-1) came close to scoring on several occasions against the No. 10 Huskies (4-0-1) but could not find their way through an organized back line. Bruno took an early lead against the Pride (2-2-1) but failed to recover from a late strike with three minutes remaining in the second extra period.
Brown 0, Washington 1
The Bears had difficulty breaking through a solid Huskies defense Friday night. Bruno seemed to get off on the perfect start after finding the net in the first minute, but the goal was revoked, leaving the Huskies midfield with possession for much of the time left in the half, keeping the Bears from stringing together passes.
“We were up against a really strong opponent,” said Head Coach Patrick Laughlin. “I thought the players did an excellent job especially in the second half. We showed our grit.”
The first goal came at the 35-minute mark off a corner kick by the Huskies. A ball to the back post was nodded across the face of the goal and found its way through the crowded penalty area and into the net, giving Washington a 1-0 lead. The Huskies outshot Bruno 7-0 in the first half.
“They were playing with three in the center midfield and we were playing with two,” said co-captain Jack Kuntz ’14. “As we figured out how to defend our three with their two, we pushed forward better.”
The Bears came out with intensity in the second half, pressing the Husky midfield higher up the field. Bruno’s offense found success down the flanks and nearly scored several times from early crosses into the box.
“We took hold of the game,” Kuntz said. “We had two or three really good chances, but their goalie came up with some pretty big saves to keep us out.”
The momentum seemed to turn in Brown’s favor in the 72nd minute after Jose Salama ’14 was fouled outside the box. His resulting free kick deflected off the wall, forcing the Huskie goalkeeper to make a reflex save across his body.
“It was unfortunate we couldn’t get the goal,” Laughlin said. “But we really showed we could compete with them.”
Jack Gorab ’16 and Daniel Taylor ’15 were also active offensively in the closing minutes, registering two shots apiece, but Bruno could not beat the Husky keeper before full time.
Brown 1, Hofstra 2
Bruno was the dominant team in the early stages of Sunday’s match, managing a 1-0 lead thanks to a goal from Gorab in the 10th minute off a rebound from Taylor’s shot on goal.
“It was good to get the first goal, which is something we haven’t done since Bryant,” Kuntz said. “Unfortunately, we weren’t able to hold on.”
The Pride worked back into the game, outshooting the Bears 8-7 in the first half and forcing two saves from Josh Weiner ’14. The pressure on Bruno’s goal finally broke in the 66th minute when a cross from the left was headed home to tie the game at 1-1. Hofstra continued to press the Bears’ backline, firing 10 shots in the second half alone.
“We have to be able to put together a complete performance,” Laughlin said. “If you look at the two games this weekend, there were some great moments, but we need to work towards putting in a performance for 90 minutes.”
The Bears and the Pride managed one shot apiece in the first overtime period, but neither threatened the goalkeepers. The game winner came in the 108th minute, when a powerful shot from 20 yards out snuck past the Brown keeper to complete the comeback, 2-1.
Bruno will travel to play 2012 National Champion Indiana (2-3-1) Friday and Butler (4-1-1) the following Sunday. The Bears were victorious in their last meeting with the Hoosiers in 2010 posting a 2-1 victory.
“Moving forward, we have to learn to complete games,” Kuntz said. “And we’re going to try to do that against Indiana and Butler … It’s another chance to prove what kind of team we are.”
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