Bromfield’s Dylan Osgood takes the ball downfield. (Photos by Bin Han)
Bromfield’s Grant Maclean beats his Gardner opponent to the ball.
With a 7-0 win over Gardner last Wednesday, Sept. 14, the Bromfield boys varsity soccer team extended their season-beginning winning streak to three.
In the first 10 minutes of the game, junior striker Dylan Osgood shot a bullet past the Gardner goalie, giving Bromfield the 1-0 lead.
Bromfield quickly lost its focus, as four more opportunities at net were lost, including a shot made by senior striker D’vonne Williams, which barely deflected off the crossbar.
“The first half was very unmotivated,” said coach Tom Hill.
However, the Trojans regained their energy and focus in the second half, as they adapted to the abilities of the opposing team. Just two minutes into the second half, the Bromfield team began a shooting spree.
Osgood scored from a direct free kick while the keeper was still setting up his wall of defenders. This clever tactic brought the Bromfield team to 2-0.
A minute and 20 seconds later, Williams crossed the ball to senior center-midfielder Brenton Stoddart, who fully used his time and aimed closely at the net. As the Gardner goalie rushed forward, Stoddart kicked the ball with a composed finish, bringing Bromfield up to 3-0.
After Stoddart’s impressive goal, junior center-midfielder Lucas Hickock was substituted in for Stoddart. In just 40 seconds, Hickock cut through the Gardner defense, and kicked the ball into the net, which deflected off the Gardner goalie back into the net. The score stood at 4-0.
Stoddart was put back in the game, and after several seconds battling the Gardner defenders, he scooted the ball into the bottom right corner of the net, bringing Bromfield to a 5-0 lead.
Sophomore left-midfielder Paul Malloy crossed the ball to Stoddart, who was ready for another shot at net. Stoddart quickly kicked the ball past the dive of the Gardner goalie, completing his hat trick, and bringing Bromfield up to 6-0.
“Brenton played very well, and finished strong as a halfback,” Hill said.
As the game wound down with a clear Bromfield victory, senior center-midfielder Brian McCullough, who normally plays sweeper, pushed for a last minute goal. McCullough bulleted the ball to the Gardner net, but it deflected off the post. Senior striker Ryan Castro took advantage of this opportunity, and smashed the ball into the net, ending the game with a 7-0 victory for the Bromfield team.
Although Bromfield was victorious, the lack of consistency between the performance in the first half and the second half was an apparent flaw, according to Hill.
“We can’t just mess around the first half,” he said. “Forty minutes, and just 1-0…There is no excuse for that. We have to play much better.”
