Brown over Yale 27-nil

Saturday, October 14, 2017

Elmgrove Avenue Providence, Rhode Island  1:00 P.M. - Family weekend at Brown brought out a good crowd to see the Bears whitewash Yale in an Ivy Conference Match on Saturday. Although Brown continues to have a case of  the hiccups which at times seems to stall its potential, this match was never in doubt. Yale tackled bravely and played hard, but when Brown needed a stop on defense, the team did not disappoint.

Scoring Summary Brown First XV v. Yale University First XV

First Half

15 min:  Brown Try (Christos Economos) 5
                         Conversion (Alec Coben) 2                

First Half: Brown 7 - Yale 0

Second Half

42 min:  Brown Penalty Kick (Alec Coben) 3
56 min:  Brown Try (Alex Ogilvy) 5
                         Conversion (Alec Coben) 2                        
68 min:  Brown Try (Francis Rosenberg) 5                        
78 min:  Brown Try (Jae Kim)                  5                

Second Half: Brown 20 - Yale 0

Final Score: Brown 27 - Yale 0

Weather was a factor as rain created a slick ball and field conditions as the game started. Neither team was skilled in wet conditions so there were an excessive number of stoppages for dropped balls and losing footage in the contact area. Brown needs continuity to be truly effective and these minor mistakes created turnovers and possession changes. Although the field remained wet throughout the day, the rain essentially stopped early in the first half .

Brown fielded a healthy and senior dominated squad that took 15 minutes to score the first points of the match. A Brown scrum ball went through two phases of  play with flyhalf Alex Ogilvy passing to fullback Christos Economos who ran the try in from 20 meters, converted by prop Alec Coben. 

However, the quality of play then deteriorated as both Brown and Yale committed minor infractions, penalties and two yellow cards that stifled both teams’ attacks. It was during the remainder of the first half that Yale was able to get close to the Brown line but rejected by a stubborn and aggressive Brown defense. Brown squandered at least two first half opportunities due to dropped or poorly executed passes  and left themselves vulnerable with a thin 7-0 halftime lead.

Two minutes into the second half Brown was awarded a penalty 30 meters from the posts and Alec Coben kicked for points, increasing the Brown lead to 10-0.
Over the remaining 38 minutes of the match, the Brown forwards controlled the match, with strong and effective scrummaging, secure lineout possession and  moments of repeated ruck possession. The Brown backs and forwards not in the breakdowns tended to be too flat and unable to break through the Yale defense with any regularity. The Bears, however, managed to put together three second half scoring sequences for 17 points.

The first score saw lineout jumper Jae Kim steal a Yale lineout. Brown back row player Luke Hayhoe  ran the ball and was tackled. Brown won the ruck with hooker Alec Coben breaking and being tackled. With the Yale defense now outnumbered, Ogilvy burst through a gap and scored from 15 meters with Coben converting.

The second try began with another stolen Yale lineout by Kim. Brown won several ruck possessions, and with the Yale defense dismantled, hooker Fran Rosenberg ran the ball in from 5 meters. 

The final Brown try was 5 meter scrum that the Bears won and drove over the line with number 8 Jae Kim scoring.

Brown was a worthy victor in this match but has not reached its full potential. With a solid Penn team waiting to take on the Bears in Philadelphia next Saturday and Dartmouth here at Brown on October 28, the Bears have two weeks to make the necessary adjustments to reach a more consistently high level of play that they are capable of. 

Referee: Cornell's Amelia Luciano

Brown First XV Squad

1.        Alec Coben’18
2.        Francis Rosenberg’18
3.        Brayden Jasper’GS
4.        Max Loundes’GS, replaced at 72 minutes by Scott Brown’18 
5.        Dakota Fenn’19
6.        Nkanyiso Nzimande ’20
7.        Luke Hayhoe ’19
8.        Jae Kim ’20
9.        Thomas Kim ’18, replaced at 72 minutes by Anesi
10.      Alexander Ogilvy ’20
11.      Alan Swierczynski ’18, replaced at 72 minutes by John Pena ’18
12.      Connor McDermott ’18 
13.      Trevor Anesi ’18, replaced at 72 minutes by Vivek Pandit ’20
14.      Nick Hoynes ’18
15.      Christos Economos ’21 

Scoring Summary Brown University Second XV vs. Yale University Second XV

First Half

7 min:     Yale Penalty Kick 3
12 min:   Yale Try  5
20 min    Yale Converted Try  7
31 min:   Yale Try  5     

First Half: Brown 0 - Yale 20

Second Half

42 min:    Yale Converted Try 7
48 min:    Yale Converted Try  7
50 min:    Yale Try  5             
66 min:    Brown Try (Matthew Tan) 5
80 min:    Brown Try (Danilo Jiminez) 5                

Second Half: Brown 10 - Yale 19    

Final Score: Brown 10 - Yale 39

The Brown Second XV was handily defeated by Yale on Saturday. The Bears finally had an opponent with a full side which allowed a 15 on 15 match for a full 80 minutes. This match gave all of the Brown players time on the field. The enthusiasm was high and Brown gave a good account, but the Yale Second XV was more experienced than the Brown Seconds and shot out to a 20-0 first half  lead. 
Brown brought in an entirely new team for the second half. With replacements the Bears played a total of 31 players in the match. Yale took advantage of this new squad, scoring 19 second half points on three tries, two converted. However, the Bears picked up their intensity as the match wore down. Particularly effective was the hard running of lock forward Matt Tan who bulled over the line in the 66th minute for Brown’s first try of the match. 

Not to be outdone, center Donilo Jiminez attacked the line carrying a defender with him as time ran out to score a second Brown try. Although Yale won the match, the late game effort by the team will be a good focal point as the Second XV continues to develop.

Referee:  Amelia Luciano

Brown 2nd XV Squad

1.    Max Spurrell’21, replaced at halftime by Sam Oaks-Leaf’21 
2.    Devyn Collado-Nicol’20, replaced at halftime byElija Soto’21 
3.    Max Spurrell’21, replaced at halftime bySam McGoldrick’20, 
4.    Scott Brown’18, replaced at halftime by Sam Masto’21Rock Hoffman’20
5.    Chris Lewis’21, replaced at halftime by Matthew Tan’18 
6.    Rock Hoffman’20, replaced at halftime by Austin Royer’21
7.    George Wilde’21, replaced at halftime by Silas Monje’21
8.    Quinn Larkin’18, replaced at halftime by Finn Freymann’18
9.    James White’21 
10.    Nathan Zaldivar’21, replaced at halftime by Federico Torti’18
11.    Max Sopher’21, replaced at halftime by Logan Casey’21, replaced at 60 minutes by Oliver Herman’20
12.    R.J. Oris, replaced at halftime by Jason Traum’21, replaced at 60 minutes byDanilo Jiminez’20
13.    Vivek Pandit’20, replaced at halftime by Rahul Dey’20 
14.    John Pena’18’ replaced at halftime by Hersh Gupta’21, replaced at 60 minutes by Lucas Mavromatis’21
15.    Federico Torti’15, replaced at halftime by Justin Vandervelden’21

Next Saturday, October 21, Brown travels to the University of Pennsylvania.