Dylan Gatto catches a pass near Oakmont’s goal in Bromfield’s 16-2 win on May 12. (Photos by Lisa Aciukewicz)
Kevin Wilkinson (left) runs past teammate Sean Kennefick and an Oakmont opponent.
Dek Tuttle races past the Oakmont defense.
Though the Trojans may have lost the war against the Spartans in ancient times, it was the Oakmont Spartans who got a history lesson May 12 when they fell victim to an offensive flurry from the Bromfield Trojans and lost 16–2.
Led by the stellar play of junior attackman Dylan Gatto, who scored nine goals, the Trojans quickly destroyed Oakmont’s defense. Bromfield was able to dictate play from the opening face-off, using a combination of experience, speed, and teamwork to work the ball down the field to create opportunities. By the end of the first period Bromfield led 7–0, with the Spartans showing little life on offense.
Bromfield was able to consistently maintain possession through the strong midfield play of Lewie Alfano, who had two assists, and Greg Wenger, who scored one goal. The Trojans rarely struggled on offense and the team was able to easily dictate the tempo in the third period. Oakmont’s defenders failed to stop the quick, talented stickwork of Gatto, who proved to be a thorn in their side. Gatto repeatedly cut into the box to take on multiple defenders, either dishing to attackmen Dek Tuttle or Josh Malam or shooting on goal himself.
Senior defender Mike Symula and goalie Kevin Wilkinson formed the backbone of Bromfield’s tenacious defensive unit. The Trojans didn’t allow a goal until the second period.
Bromfield continued to mount offensive pressure into the final period. Senior midfielder Wenger blew past two Oakmont defenders in the middle of the field and unleashed a cannon shot that sailed into the top left corner of the net to increase the Trojans’ lead to 11–2 in the fourth period. Later, Malam netted his third goal after taking a feed on the left side and firing a shot into the lower left corner.
This victory came as an emotional boost to the team, which suffered two difficult losses early in the season.
“I believe that our win over Oakmont can be attributed to the fact that our team started to falter and, for the first time since freshman year, lost games,” said Alfano. “In my opinion these two losses were necessary because we were getting a little cocky and it was starting to affect our game. After those upsets, we got our act together and started to get our heads back into the game. We came up with some new plays and started getting serious. We are starting to look like a true varsity team again and are getting psyched up for the playoffs.”
