Katja Lierhaus (left) fights her West Boylston opponent for the ball. (Photos by Lisa Aciukewicz)
Bromfield players (from left) Kara Kennedy, Moriah Arnold, Lizzie Rooney, and Kaya Phillips take the ball downfield.
A disappointing 1-0 loss to the West Boylston lady Lions ended the Bromfield girls varsity soccer team’s season in the district quarterfinals on Monday, Nov. 8, at Woodland Park.
Bromfield’s season ended with a 12-2-4 record.
The Trojans dominated the game in terms of ball control, as their powerful offensive strides kept West Boylston on the defensive. Just five minutes in, Bromfield senior midfielder Katja Lierhaus crossed the ball just outside the 18-yard line, prompting the Lions’ defenders to lob the ball as far away as possible.
The Trojans repeated the same strategy two minutes later, with a perfect cross from Lierhaus to junior right midfielder Clara Wang, who headed the ball into the hands of West Boylston’s keeper Bri Morrow.
In response, West Boylston’s Andrea Morrow drove down the field at 11 minutes, 50 seconds, and lobbed the ball at Bromfield senior keeper Brittany Lee. With Lee’s quick deflection, West Boylston’s Kara Cook went for the second attempt, and chipped the ball clear over the net.
Four minutes later, Bromfield senior stopper Kaya Phillips bulleted a swift ball to the bottom right corner of the net, forcing Morrow to dive for a close save.
The lady Trojans continued their unrelenting pursuit for a goal. At 18 minutes, 12 seconds, Lierhaus launched a slow, but accurate shot past the Lions’ defenders and into Morrow’s grip.
The Trojans used an out-of-bounds kick 22 minutes in as junior outside defender Moriah Arnold curved the ball inward from the right side of the field. The ball was ripped with too much force, carrying it into the possession of the Lions.
A close attempt by Bromfield occurred at 23 minutes, 41 seconds. As Arnold threw the ball into play from the right side, Wang gained possession and tapped the ball at a formation of Lions, only for it to be deflected back into her control. As more and more Lions crowded in, ready to pounce, Wang quickly reacted with another chip to the ball, back into Morrow’s possession.
Bromfield’s lighting fast sophomore center midfielder Riley Osgood outran her West Boylston counterparts in the 26th minute and smashed the ball with incredible force straight at Morrow.
With only two minutes remaining in the first half, West Boylston’s Quinn Dirogi popped the ball over the Bromfield net crossbar.
At 43 minutes, West Boylston’s Amy Peterson jolted the ball at the right side of the Bromfield net right into Lee’s hands. Bromfield quickly regained control of the ball, and began another spree of shooting attempts. Bromfield junior left-midfielder Kiley Nygren prolonged her attempt as she searched for a perfect opportunity to shoot. However, as she popped the ball upward, Morrow quickly sprinted to the left side of the net, swiping the ball right from the air.
Just three minutes later, sophomore Reiny Foster nimbly dribbled the ball down field, maneuvering around two West Boylston defenders. Foster smashed the ball into Morrow’s control.
At 50 minutes, Osgood sprinted forward with only one opponent away from her and the Lions’ keeper. As Osgood moved closer to the net, she unexpectedly crossed the ball over to sophomore Kate Marinelli who, with only a second to react, smashed the ball directly into the hands of the keeper.
Every Bromfield attempt at goal was shut down by Morrow, and eventually the game switched to overtime, as neither team managed to score.
At 85 minutes, 40 seconds, Lierhaus lobbed the ball with a slight curve dropping it just inches away from the left side of the Lions’ net.
With two minutes remaining in the first allotted overtime, West Boylston’s Marissa Hayes took a corner kick that cut through the air with a perfect curve, ricocheted off players and the goal post, until the ball flew inside Bromfield’s net.
Although the season was over for the Bromfield girls varsity soccer team, their extraordinary efforts and durable sportsmanship shined through regardless of the results of the game.
Jokingly, coach B.J. Pessia said, “Bromfield couldn’t score because we forgot to open our eyes… the referees wouldn’t let the girls bring the seeing eye dogs!”
On a more serious note, Pessia felt that “there was no luck… The girls didn’t play principles but by the end, they were exhausted. They played well…There was just no luck!”
