After winning 2–0 against Uxbridge at home on Friday, Nov. 6, Bromfield suffered a 1–0 defeat in a hard-fought, two-overtime, away game at Quaboag in the second round district playoffs on Sunday, Nov. 8.
Suzy Opalka battles for the ball with a Quaboag player. (Courtesy photo)
Against Uxbridge, junior forward Kate Connors scored Bromfield’s first goal, assisted by senior forward Suzy Opalka, which was followed by a second goal scored by Opalka and assisted by senior midfielder Lily Moore-Eissenberg. Uxbridge players made quick cuts and consistently intercepted passes; however, Bromfield players were able to recover the ball and bring it back down the field, dominating play for both halves. Opalka’s positioning at left post proved key to Bromfield’s success, with frequent crosses and tips putting the pressure on the opposition’s defensive line.
After the victory over Uxbridge in the first round of playoffs, Bromfield made the 1.5-hour bus ride to Quaboag, a regional high school west of Harvard. In this high-intensity game, it became clear early on that the teams were evenly matched. Bromfield dominated at the start, with Quaboag taking possession for the last five minutes of the first half. In the second half, the competition grew fiercer and it became increasingly difficult to tell which team had the upper hand. Bromfield’s goalie, junior Audrey Hettinger, made several close saves, booting the ball out of the circle for center defender junior Meaghan Parlee to pick up. Bromfield’s defense played in sync, in the first half especially, with sweepers sophomore Kiley Russell and junior Liz Polimou coordinating their efforts to make clears and send forwards on breakaways. Coach Sue Silver chose to go with a defensive lineup for this game, composed of two forwards, three midfielders, three halfbacks, two sweepers, and the goalie. Silver said, “We used our strategy of packing in defensively well, and I couldn’t be prouder.”
Corner shot ends game
With no score, the game moved into the first round of overtime, in which each team can have only seven players on the field at once, including goalies. Overtime is sudden victory, which means the first goal scored is the winning goal. Bromfield kept possession for most of the round, but neither team got many shots on goal.
After the 15-minute overtime expired, the teams moved into a second round of overtime, again with seven players on each side. If the game had remained tied after 15 more minutes, the teams would have moved into a stroke-off, the field hockey equivalent of overtime penalty kicks in soccer. However, in the last five minutes, Quaboag moved in with a power play and scored. Four of its six field players charged the circle, and one of them took a hard, slanted corner shot from the top of the circle to score the winning goal.
Bromfield varsity field hockey has never made it past the second round of playoffs, and players had hoped to make history this year by progressing to the third. In some ways, they realized in retrospect, they did: Bromfield varsity field hockey has never made it to double overtime in the second round of districts. Coach Silver reflected, “I felt in both games we had our A-game going. I had no corrections.” Players, though disappointed, seem to agree. According to co-captain Opalka, “We stuck to our strategy and played up to a team that plays bigger and better schools than us. We played one of our best games all season.”
Lily Moore-Eissenberg is a senior at the Bromfield School.
