Coming off of a heartbreaking loss against the College of the Holy Cross Tuesday, the men’s soccer team took to the road to battle Cornell. Bruno came out strong with the opening goal in the 22nd minute, but the game ultimately ended after double overtime in a 1-1 tie.
The Big Red (7-5-1, 1-2-1 Ivy), which was coming off a 3-1 loss to Yale and is currently ranked seventh in the Ivy League standings, started the game with fast-paced, physical tactics. However, the Bears (2-8-3, 1-1-2) dominated play, high pressuring the Big Red and forcing its defense to clear balls out of play.
“The game was very physical, just like all conference games,” said Jack Hagstrom ’19.5. “We created many chances on the counter-attack by getting crosses in the box.”
Both teams did their offensive damage in the first half, with Brown taking the lead off of a goal from midfielder Derek Waleffe ’22 in the 22nd minute. Co-captain Jackson Goebel ’20 served the ball across the face of the net and Matthew Chow ’20 redirected it back to the top of the 18-yard box for the finish. Waleffe’s composure allowed for a clean strike that rocketed the ball into the back of the net.
Six minutes later, Cornell’s John Scearce evened the score with a header goal off a long throw-in. The goal was heavily contested by the Bears, with two defenders and goalkeeper Maxwell Waldau ’22 high pressing the attackers.
“We let in an unfortunate goal on a play we can’t allow to happen going forward,” said Rodrigo D’Andrea ’20. “But overall, the tie (on the road) was a good result as it keeps the chances of winning an Ivy League title alive.”
The rest of the half passed scoreless, with both teams utilizing their wingers to bolster their defenses. At halftime, Cornell held advantages against the Bears in both shots and corner kicks.
Head Coach Patrick Laughlin “was very positive at half time, although he made some minor adjustments,” said Will Mims ’21. “We needed our forwards to step up onto their center backs to limit the time they had to send balls in behind our back line.”
The Bears had some chances in the second half with two corners and a free kick, but all three went unfinished. Cornell outshot Brown 6-4 in the half, but the Bears’ defense successfully held off the Big Red’s attack and earned the edge in corners 2-1.
“Our defense did a nice job at handling their offense, although Cornell put a lot of numbers forward,” Hagstrom said. “Waldau also made some big saves as goalkeeper.”
During the first overtime, co-captain Daniel Schiller ’20 almost secured the victory for the Bears with a strike aiming just below the crossbar, but it was punched out by Cornell’s goalie.
“You can see the intensity rise in each Ivy League game,” Mims said. “Everyone knows the importance and the opportunity of each play, each half and each game.”
The second overtime involved even more action. The Big Red earned four corners, and Waleffe found the back of the net on a header, but it was called back for a foul.
After 110 minutes of play, the final buzzer rang on the 1-1 tie. Hagstrom was positive about the team’s prospects. “We would have liked to get the win,” he said. “We are pleased to get a tie and come away with a point on the road.”
Before returning to Ivy League play, the Bears will travel to the University of Massachusetts Lowell for their final non-conference game Wednesday. Next, the conference race will heat up as Bruno hosts Penn Saturday at Stevenson-Pincince Field.
“We are playing our best soccer of the season, so we are confident going into these next games,” D’Andrea said. “Going forward, every game is a must-win, starting with our next home game against (Penn).”
