The varsity field hockey team trumped Gardner 4-0 at their own field on Monday, Oct. 6, and elevated Bromfield’s record to 9-1-1. Last Wednesday, Oct. 1, they clinched a 3-3 tie with rival Narragansett.
Monday’s game started strong for Bromfield. Senior captain Colby Newsham sent the ball downfield in the first few seconds of play. Bromfield maintained offensive pressure on Gardner and earned two penalty corners off Gardner defensive fouls in the 16-yard circle.
With only five minutes of play gone, senior Aliza Maki scored the first goal of the game off a diagonal pass across the goal from junior Suzy Opalka. Bromfield Coach Sue Silver described the play as “our prettiest goal of the season.”
The second goal came only six minutes later. Newsham slapped the ball into the circle from the 25-yard line. Her pass fired diagonally through the circle and to Opalka on the right goal post. Opalka deflected the ball in and upped the score to 2-0.
Dominant first half sets up shutout
Possession fluctuated between Bromfield and Gardner’s 25-yard lines until Opalka sped down the center of the field on a breakaway. She carried the ball into Gardner’s defensive 16-yard circle and fired it toward the left corner, where Maki stopped it and played it on the Gardner goalkeeper, Brittany Stephenson. Maki punched the ball to Opalka waiting on the right post, and Opalka tipped it in.
The remainder of the half returned to fluctuating game play, leaving the score 3-0 Bromfield.
During a halftime conference with her team, Silver praised her players’ “very nice first half.” Bromfield goalkeeper senior Moira Morgan added, “We’re doing really well.” Morgan saved seven of Gardner’s nine shots on goal.
With the dawn of the second half, Bromfield was again able to claim an early goal. Only four minutes of play had unfolded when Newsham drove a shot in from the center-left portion of the 16-yard circle. It banged against the goalpost and ricocheted past Stephenson. The ball’s wild spin eventually sent it over the goal line for Bromfield’s fourth and final goal of the game.
Bromfield nearly scored a fifth goal, however. A shot from junior Lily Moore-Eissenberg whizzed off Stephenson’s pads and into the backboard, but her play was disqualified as a goal because her shot came from outside the 16-yard circle.
A spot in district playoffs
The varsity girls are now looking forward to post-season play in the Mid-Wach Division C District playoffs. They secured a district spot after the Oct. 1 tie against Narragansett, but the game was not an easy one.
Morgan and seniors Kathryn Hodskins, Emma Keaney, Lindsay Kerr, and sophomore Meaghan Parlee warded off consistent offensive pressure from the Warriors, defending eight shots and 13 penalty corners. Morgan faced a penalty stroke from Narragansett’s Reagan Moulton. Moulton flicked the ball to the left side of the goal, and Morgan was unable to stop the shot with her stick.
Despite the Warriors’ offensive prowess, Bromfield was able to answer each of their opponent’s goals and earn the one district point needed to put them in the playoffs. Captain Keaney exalted, “I’m so happy that we made it to districts . . . No matter what level [of district play] we make it to, I’ll be so proud of this team and, I will never forget this season! I love these girls on and off the field.”
Casey Russell is a senior at the Bromfield School and a member of the varsity field hockey team.
