Goalie Julie Hoggins blocked eight shots for the day, five in the second half. (Photos by Lisa Aciukewicz)
Senior Jackie Planchet manages to get by a defender to score a goal.
Harvard’s lead scorer, Sophie Turchetta, watches as the ball sails past the goalie in one of her five goals of the day.
Young lacrosse players (from left) Danielle Lawton, Natalia Dutkewych, Stelliana Bassi, Abigale Baker, Peyton Van Dorpe, and Megan Hoggins cheer on the team.
The Newburyport Clippers held Bromfield’s pair of dynamic midfielders at bay last Saturday to win the Division 2 girls’ lacrosse state championship 7-6 before a crowd of 380 at Boston University’s Nickerson Field.
The game was hard fought, with both teams playing impressive defensive games, especially in the second half.
Throughout the first half, the two teams traded goals. Sophomore Sophia Turchetta scored the first five points for her team, but with the clock nearing the one-minute mark, the Trojans still trailed the Clippers 6-5. It was then that senior Jackie Planchet managed to shake off defenders Shannon Tinkham and Lillian Donovan of Newburyport to tie the game for the last time. Forty seconds later, however, the Clippers’ Alexandra Peffer eked out one more goal on an assist from attacker Julia Kipp to give Newburyport a 7-6 lead, a score that remained unchanged for the rest of the match.
A defensive battle
The second half was a defensive battle. Double and triple coverage of Trojan midfielders Sophia Turchetta and Jackie Planchet prevented either from scoring, but neither was Newburyport able to widen its lead. With five and one-half minutes left in the game, Newburyport Coach Catherine Batchelder called a timeout; and when play resumed, despite Bromfield’s best efforts, the Clippers were able to keep control of the ball and run out the clock.
“No tears,” Coach Dave Planchet told his players as they gathered to receive their medals and trophy from MIAA officials. “You guys did phenomenal. This was a great game.”
Turchetta was the top scorer for Bromfield with five goals. Planchet scored one. Goalie Julia Hoggins had another outstanding game with eight saves.
A dream season
After the game, Coach Planchet said he knew the match would be a “dogfight.” When he watched a video of the Clippers and observed their style of play, he said, “It was like looking in a mirror.” Planchet said he knew it would come down to “little things, ground balls, and draws.” Though Bromfield held its own on draws and defense, he noted, the Clippers “bested Bromfield on ground balls.”
“But I was really proud of my kids,” said Planchet. “It was … a dream season. We never expected to get this far.”
For Bromfield, the loss to Newburyport was its second, leaving the team with a 20-2 record for the season. Of the team’s 30 players, only five are graduating, including the high-scoring Planchet.
And for Coach Planchet, winning the central/west Division 2 championship will allow him to fulfill another of his dreams: hanging a championship lacrosse banner in the Bromfield gym, the first in the school’s history.
The 2014 Bromfield girls’ varsity lacrosse team poses with its state runner-up trophy after the Division 2 state final game against Newburyport at Boston Unviversity’s Nickerson Field June 14. Front row, from left: Marcy Shappy, Jackie Planchet, and Lexi Dutkewych. Middle row, from left: Meaghan Parlee, Kaeli Armstrong, Kelsey L’Ecuyer, Lindsey Hoggins, Brianna Carlisle, Courtney Route, Sophia Turchetta, Julia Hoggins, and Jill Earnst. Back row, from left: Sarah vandeVaart, Nicole West, Greer Jarvis, Cara Olejarz, Maddie Ragno, Olivia Alfano, Sofia MacLean, Tiffany Khuu, Teagan Slattery, Sydney Hudson, Alexzandra Drake, and Pheobe Clarke.
