Bears 3-3 Boston University

Sometime between our departure to San Francisco last Thursday and our arrival onto Stevenson field last night, Fall arrived! It was a brisk, typical New England autumn evening as these bears took to the field at 6pm for their pre-game warm-up. Fresh in their minds was the fact that 72 hours earlier they had been three time zones away and had been unfairly "prevented" from winning a match at USF.
As the boys executed their pre-game preparations none could have predicted the 110 minute roller-coaster ride that was about to engulf these players and a healthy crowd - boosted by the presence of a strong contingent of youngsters and their families from Bruno United FC.
The match kicked off and immediately our boys were on the back-foot. "Not again!" we collectively groaned from the bench. "When are we going to start a game properly!" Unquestionably the first five minutes belonged to the visiting Terriers - yet as another ball was played into our box it looked like we were able to cope comfortably, with us having good numbers back and no visiting player in the vicinity. Then, out of nowhere up he popped - leaping like a salmon and planting a firm and pin-point header into the top corner of our goal....... "Oh Jonny (Okafor), what have you done????" Head-in-hands, Jon froze for a few seconds as he realized that the most accurate headed finish that he had ever produced had ended up in the back of his own goal... Bears 0-1 Terriers.
So, once again we were a goal down early in the match, and playing poorly. The goal stirred our boys out of their slumber and for the next fifteen minutes we tested BU's defence with some excellent passing and movement. Jonny was instrumental in our attacking play as responded to his misfortune in exactly the way he should have. Sean Rosa unlucky at the other end with a headed attempt and corner after corner failed to yield a goal.
The visiting Terriers at this stage were being limited to an occasional counter-attack and rarely looked threatening, well except when Big Ryan was feeling charitable enough to gift them the ball (this was apparently the day when our beloved freshman centre-back decided that all this passing to Brown players was becoming boring). From their first corner-kick of the game the visitors ran a play that we were well prepared for (well the coaches were and so were the paper scouting reports!). A complete breakdown led to a free header at the back post...... now we had a mountain to climb..... 2-0 Bad Guys.
A glimmer of hope appeared a few minutes later when Tayls was first to a looping ball inside the box and buried it deep into the BU net. No real celebration at this point, but at least we'd got ourselves back in with a fighting chance. Brown 1-2 Terriers.
The game resuled it's normal ebb and flow in the waining minutes of the half, with both teams creating some decent openings, without either ever really looking like scoring. Some neat combination play involving Tayls, Sean and Wallsy on the far side of the BU box led to Walls picking up the ball and cutting inside onto his left foot. From 35 yards out he hit an absolute screamer into the top corner of the net....... OK, so what really hapenned was that Wallsy hit a soft bobbling shot along the ground that barely made it to the 'keeper, yet for some inexplicable reason the BU custodian managed to let the ball squirm under his body and the ball trickled over the line (my apologies for the previous statement regarding the 35-yard screamer - Wallsy asked me to "dress it up a little" during training today..... ). So, it was now 2-2 and all to play for.

During half-time a group of Bruno United youngsters made their way onto the hallowed turf at Stevenson and were presented to the crowd. Recognition was given to the nine state finalists and four state champion teams, including the Girls U14's who were only the second-ever Bruno girls team to reach the regional tournament, and the Boys U17's who reached the regional semi-finals - only the third RI team in history to ever achieve this feat. All this achievement from a club that is still less than ten years old! Bruno United is a not-for-profit premier soccer club that was founded by Coach Noonan and whose president is former Brown goalkeeper, Ted Von Gerichten '78. 260 boys and girls between the age of nine and eighteeen benefit from the coaching expertise and level of play produced by the club. To find out more about Bruno United visit our website at www.brunounited.com.

At half-time our boys heard what they needed to hear and re-entered the fray with a renewed purpose. Surely now we would go on and win this game that we had fought back into....
Big Ryan was feeling equally charitable as the second half got underway however. He had apparently watched some bull-fighting on television at half time. Minutes into the half he produced a performance that any matador would be proud of as he "ole'd" the visiting centre-forward into our 18 yard box. Grandstrand was a sitting duck.... 3-2 Terriers...... really!???
Once again our team responded with Sean Rosa's tireless running at the heart of the attacking play. TJ Thompson cut in from the left-side and squared the ball only to see it evade everyone as w desperately tried to claw back into the match. Fittingly, it was a moment of magic from Rosa that did the trick - he picked up the ball 22 yards out, cut inside the defender and unleashed an unstoppable drive the cannoned in off the crossbar (I'm not lying this time!!). The 'keeper had no chance. 3-3. Wow! There was still plenty of time for more drama in this contest. So it proved in the final moments of regulation as chances came and went for both teams. Rosa, TJ Pop and Jonny all went close, while Nicky elected to pass when well-placed (ghosts not yet entirely laid to rest...). Big Paul made one excellent save to keep us in the contest, and time expired - onto extra time..... again!
Minutes into the first extra time period, TJ won a corner on our left side. Wallsy put the corner kick on Jonny's head, who steered it into the path of Evan, who then buried the ball into the empty net...... cue hysteria on the bench, in the stands, and heads-in-hands for the visiting Terriers...... but wait, what's happening? The goal's been disallowed!! What for?? Offside? No! A push??? Who??? The referee was convinced that he'd seen a push - he was apparently the only one in the entire city of Providence that had.....
For the next seven minutes Grandstrand was as active as he had been all season as our boys seemed to capitulate after the horrendous decision by the man in black. The end of the first period was approaching - we had to hold on..... we did..... just!
Coach Noonan ralied the troops for the second period and normal service was resumed. The visiting 'keeper made a couple of decent stops and Jay was unlucky not to have connected better with an ambitious forty-yarder. Grandstrand made one excellent save low to his left....
As the final whistle sounded there was no doubt who the happier team was. Despite leading three times in the contest, the visitors were undoubtedly happy with the draw. Our boys were frustrated, even a tad angry.... The spirit of the teams' play was epitomized by the performance of players like Sean and Mikey M who ran their socks off for yet another overtime contest.
We're still undefeated.....yet, had it not been for the intervention of two officials in two games, we could have two straight wins under our belts....
Running into Bruno parents and players today, I was told what a "great game" it was. "Sure, for the fans it was. Not so much if you were on that bench!"
Up next is Columbia - Ivy League opener in Harlem at 7pm Saturday. See below "Columbia Reception" for details of the pre-game reception. Hope to see you there!