The Bromfield boys soccer team opened their season with two big wins against tough opponents Oakmont and Nipmuc.
Oakmont came into the game as a formidable opponent, still having kept dangerous sophomore striker Johnny Ventura. However, junior midfielder Greg Wenger was able to give Bromfield the edge early, scoring just ten seconds following the kick-off. Wenger received a feed from Brian Morgan on the sideline which was poorly handled by the Oakmont defense, placing a shot past the keeper to make it 1–0.
Oakmont’s defense was strong for a large portion of the first half, relying on its strong and physical fullbacks to clear the ball. Oakmont got a rare chance near the goal following a defensive mistake by Bromfield, but senior Salim al-Homsi made a crucial slide tackle moments before the shot was taken to avert the danger. The game was relatively even until the end of the first half, when the Trojans began to retake control. Minutes before the half ended, sophomore Cody Osgood scored in traffic in front of the goal following a corner kick.
The second half continued with more dominance from Bromfield, with All-Star striker Josh Lyvers putting in a half-volley following a corner kick to make it 3–0. Bromfield also benefited from strong outside play from junior Jon Alexander, who assisted Osgood to make it 4–0. Osgood returned the favor later in the half following a dummy play by Josh Lyvers to set Alexander alone with the goalie where he put it away in the top corner to round out the scoring at 5–0.
Bromfield’s defense, anchored by senior captain Andrew Jorgensen, was strong in allowing just three total shots in the entire game.
“I thought we had some very good moments and some semi-weak moments, especially in the first half,” said head coach Tom Hill. “We scored early and then we kind of went to sleep for a while. In the second half we played better: we were more consistent. All in all, we didn’t play that badly.”
Following a 1–0 victory at Division II opponent Nipmuc, Bromfield returned home to play league rivals Tahanto at Harvard Park. Tahanto scored midway through the first half off a series of defensive lapses by Bromfield, putting the Stags up 1–0. The Bromfield team was more skilled and expected to use the larger field at Harvard Park to spread out Tahanto, but gritty play by the Tahanto defense and tough man-marking on Josh Lyvers resulted in a less open game. However, Greg Wenger managed to beat two defenders around the outside of the box and hit a left-footed shot that skipped through the legs of the Tahanto keeper to make it 1–1 just before half. Following the second half, the opportunistic Tahanto team scored again off another defensive mistake, placing a shot in the top corner despite a valiant attempt by second-half goalkeeper Connor Davy. Bromfield controlled Tahanto following the goal but couldn’t tie the game despite repeated chances inside the 18-yard box, eventually losing 2–1.
Bromfield managed to rebound with a game against Sutton last Friday, winning 4–0. The team plays Gardner and Hudson this week.
