NCAA Tournament 2nd Round: Brown 0, Duke 2

The Brown Men’s Soccer season came to a dramatic end this past Wednesday evening as the Bears were defeated by the #1 ranked Duke Blue Devils 2-0 in the second round of the NCAA Tournament. Despite looking like the better team for much of the second half, the Bears couldn’t muster a goal against Duke’s stingy defense. Brown finishes the 2006 season with an 11-5-3 record, and seniors Ben Brackett, Andrew Daniels, Brian Joyce, Alexan Simon, Dave Semenza, Jamie Granger and Ian Premo conclude their impressive Brown careers with two Ivy League titles, three NCAA Tournament appearances, and a lifetime of Brown Soccer memories.

Now, here is your post-game report:

Tuesday evening: The team flies to Durham, NC and has dinner at a Mexican restaurant. Brown athletic trainer (and UNC alum) Matt Culp, who frequently professes his love for south-of-the-border cuisine, finds himself overly excited to be back at a Mexican restaurant in North Carolina and puts on an eating display that will be talked about for many years to come. In one sitting, he devours a three-person, three-course meal (called “El Combo”) without taking a breath. Then, after earning a new level of respect from the players, coaches, and restaurant staff, he is affectionately dubbed Culpayashi, a reference to competitive eating champion Takeru Kobayashi.

Warm-Ups: After three days of training, watching film, and waiting for their shot at the #1 team in the country, Brown takes the field as Duke’s impressive sound system pumps out the hits.

1st minute – As the Cameron Crazies eventually find their way to the soccer stadium, Duke comes out looking poised and confident, and they gain an early territorial advantage. Every Duke throw-in is taken by their right defender, who launches the ball into the Brown penalty area from virtually every part of the field.

20th minute – Steve Sawyer curls a dangerous cross into the Duke penalty area, where Jamie Granger ’06.5 slips by his defender and sprints across the face of the goal, narrowly missing the ball before it is gobbled up by the Blue Devil keeper.

27th minute - Duke lobs a cross into the Brown penalty area, where it lands perfectly on the foot of their playmaking central midfielder, Michael Videira. Videira takes two touches with his right foot and smashes the ball home with his left foot from close range. 1-0 Duke.

34th minute – Nick-Elenz Martin ’10 gets the crowd up and out of their seats with a twenty-yard volley that just barely misses the upper left corner. Close!

40th minute – A poorly hit forward pass somehow finds its way through two Brown players and sends Duke’s All-American forward Mike Grella scampering through on goal. He beats goalkeeper Jarrett Leech with a delicate chip, but the ball rolls wide of the goal.

HALFTIME – Coach Noonan congratulates the team on their near-perfect execution of the game plan—they conceded just two scoring chances in the first half, and created several opportunities for themselves. Keep it up in the second half, boys!

48th minute – After dominating Duke’s 6’5” forward in the air throughout the first half, Super Rhett Bernstein ’08 goes in on a 50-50 ball with a Duke player. The ball takes a favorable Duke bounce, leaving Mike Grella free to run at the Brown goal. He fakes a shot, cuts it to his left foot, and buries the ball into the lower left corner of the net. 2-0 Duke.

49th minute – Brown immediately switches to a more offensive 4-4-2 formation, inserting Laurent Manuel ’08 as an offensive right back.

50th -75th minutes – Brown dominates the Blue Devils, stringing together pass after pass after pass. Andrew Daniels skins a player down the right wing and crosses a dangerous ball across the face of goal, where it is fired just wide, Dylan Sheehan ’09 and Nick Elenz-Martin nearly combine for a goal, Brian Joyce battles and scraps with great success in midfield, and several Brown free kicks result in dangerous balls in the Duke box. But nothing will go in.

76th minute – Like a veteran team, the Blue Devils begin to slow down the pace of the game, taking their time on throw-ins and making numerous substitutions. They also regain possession of the ball for long stretches of time, further frustrating the Brown players and their anxious fans.

88th minute – Brown musters a few final forays forward, but still cannot break down Duke’s defense.

90th minute – The clock counts down to zero, ending the game and closing the books on the 2006 Brown Men’s Soccer season. Summing up the general sentiment of the team, Kevin Davies ’08 remarks, “The most frustrating thing was that they weren’t even that dominant!” In their traditional team huddle, senior Ian Premo tells the younger players to remember this feeling for future motivation, and then reminds the older players that it isn’t really about the wins or losses, it’s about the experience and the relationships that will last a lifetime.

Final Score: Brown 0, Duke 2
Overall Record: 11-5-3

Next Match: September, 2007