As the sun set on Stevenson-Pincince Field, the men’s soccer team (3-5-1, 0-2 Ivy) took the field for their home opener against the Princeton Tigers (5-3-0, 2-0). After 90 minutes, the Tigers went home with a win, and the Bears remained out of luck in Ivy play so far.
The game started rough for Bruno. Within five minutes, the Tigers had already scored a goal, after a foul by goalkeeper Henrik Weiper ’26 conceded a penalty to Princeton.
Despite going down early, the Bears took control of possession for a majority of the first half. While their midfield — composed of Jack Cloherty ’25, Zion Wharton ’27 and Mads Stistrup Petersen ’26.5 — managed to hold onto the ball for long periods of time, they had little success getting forward.
“It's kind of been the story of our season so far: not being able to get over the line when it feels like we outpossess teams,” Cloherty said in an interview with The Herald.
Even with their dominance over possession, the Bears still only outshot Princeton 6-4 in the first half of the game. During the rest of the game, made looser by the Tigers’ press, the Bears lost control of the ball and were outshot 8-4.
“I agree we looked pretty sharp and had some good attacking play. (We’re) just lacking the end product and quality in key moments,” Head Coach Chase Wileman wrote in a message to The Herald. “Decision making and execution in the final third is something we are continuing to work on.”
In the 26th minute, after winger Kyle Gee ’25 picked up a yellow card, Bruno was in desperate need for fresh legs on the attack and subbed in Jamin Gogo Peters ’26. His impact was immediate — Gogo Peters’s speed and skill on the ball led the Bears in a more dangerous attack.
“I felt like I just needed to bring some energy,” Gogo Peters said. “And obviously that's a job coming off the bench.”
Shortly after his introduction, Bruno found some opportunities to score. The ball was put in the Tigers’ box and, after some chaos in defense, fell to substitute Diego Elizalde ’27. His kick slammed into the top post and flew out, denying Bruno their equalizer.
Key Bruno players sat the game out due to injuries. Missing leading scorer Lorenzo Amaral ’27 and a number of players on their defensive line, the Bears had to make several changes to their starting 11. But Wileman says he doesn’t “make excuses.”
“We had plenty enough on the field to get a result,” he said. “We just didn't get it done.”
Any dream of a Bears comeback fell apart after a Princeton set piece gave them a two-goal lead within the first three minutes of the second half. The Bears have struggled defending set pieces all season, and this Saturday was no exception.
“We practice (defending set pieces) every day,” Cloherty said. “It just comes to being switched on in those situations and, clearly, (we) weren't switched on enough.”
Later in the second, Bruno was lucky to have a Princeton goal from a corner disallowed.
The only exciting moment in the second half came from Gogo Peters, who gave Bruno their only goal of the game.
Picking up the ball at the end of the box, Gogo Peters maintained his composure and fired a shot. Sliding comfortably in the side netting, Bruno’s lone goal was by far the most impressive of the night.
From then on, the Bears weren’t able to get into the attacking third effectively, and possession was loose in the middle of the pitch.
After the final whistle, the Bears’ players collapsed from exhaustion and cramps with disappointment written on their faces. The match marked Bruno’s second loss in the Ivy League and their third straight game without a win.
“We have to focus on the games ahead. We can't get too bogged down by this,” Cloherty said. “The Ivy League is a tough league to play in. Every game matters, and so you have to get it out of your system and focus on the five games we have left.”
While Bruno’s performance in the first half was solid, it wasn’t enough to win the game.
“Ultimately, performances are not calculated in our record column,” Wileman wrote. “Last night was kind of a different chapter in the same book of this season. Tight game, good performance, we should get a result, but we come up short.”
“It's hard to comprehend but we have to find a way to change the narrative,” he added.
The Bears will get another opportunity to do that on Tuesday at Holy Cross (2-6-3). The game will be streamed live on ESPN+.
Dennis Carey is a Sports editor who enjoys playing volleyball, listening to and collecting vinyl records and poorly playing the guitar in his spare time.
