WHOosiers Defeated

Brown 2-1 Indiana

The marquee matchup of the season so far saw the visit of the infamous Indiana Hoosiers to Stevenson field. Having done our homework on this squad, we knew it was going to take a mighty effort on our part to secure a good result.
The match kicked-off in the cool autumn night with an unusually low crowd on College Hill. Although, as is always the case, the Brown student population began gathering just minutes into the match, and formed a raucous and supportive noise to cheer the boys along.
It was an end-to-end affair throughout the opening skirmishes of this contest, with both teams having a share of the ball and testing the defences. Both stood strong until the 15th minute, when a speculative effort from 25 yards was uncharacteristically fumbled by the previously robotically-efficient Grandstrand, and the Hoosiers #10 gleefully knocked the rebound goalwards. Despite a magnificent effort by Evan to clear the ball off the line, the linesman had already made his mind up and given the goal. 1-0 Hoosiers, and our first goal conceded on the season. Was it over the line? More irony to follow……
The first time a team concedes a goal can tell you much about the character and mental capabilities of that group. Do they go into a shell? Do they concede another goal quickly afterwards? Or do they respond with a determination to set the record straight and recover from the blip? Well, you can guess how these Bears responded….
Indiana were buoyed by the goal and played some decent stuff over the next 10-15 minutes, but our defence stood resolute, and slowly we started to exert pressure of our own. Gaps began to appear and the visiting ‘keeper made two excellent saves. Just before half-time it seemed that we’d leveled the match as Jay squeezed the ball over the line at the back post. However, the linesman had failed to see the ball clearly cross the line and Indiana hacked it clear. A 1-0 halftime deficit was a harsh reflection on 45 minutes that had seen these feisty Bears more than match their esteemed opponents…
The half-time talk wasn’t time for panic or screaming and yelling. Calm words from Coach Laughlin kept the boys on an even keel, and just a few minutes into the second half our pressure paid off as T-Mac buried a shot into the Indiana goal… The second half developed into a pulsating contest as both teams went for the game winner. Our boys enjoyed the lions share of possession for a 20 minute spell without getting that elusive goal….
Just as it seemed that the match was headed into extra time up popped our resident Canadian to grab the winner. As Sean bore down on goal he evaded the onrushing ‘keeper and squeezed a shot towards goal from an acute angle. Cue delirium….
As much as these Hoosiers huffed and puffed, Robertson, McDuff and the rest of our defensive unit stood strong and resolute. The final whistle blew and it was all over. The seven-time national champions departed college hill knowing that they had simply been beaten by the better team……