The Trojans netted their second win of the season against the North Middlesex Patriots Friday, Sept. 23, 1–0.
The Trojans started with the ball, but an especially hard starting hit from freshman Ella Corbett that sent the ball flying over the endline gave the Patriots the ball and Bromfield the first foul of the game. Several more fouls let the Patriots inch down the field and take multiple shots on senior goalie Audrey Hettinger, who blocked them all.
However, a stick obstruction call on North Middlesex let senior Liz Polimou drive the ball up the field, resulting in a close race between a Patriot and senior Kate Connors that the Patriot initially won. Bromfield eventually recovered the ball and took a few shots on goal before North Middlesex took it back down the field.
North Middlesex and Bromfield continued to trade possession of the ball. A lucky breakaway and a foul on North Middlesex allowed senior Meaghan Parlee to charge up the field and shoot on goal, a shot that was blocked. Bromfield recovered and took another shot on goal, but that ball was kicked far down the field. Corbett intercepted the kick before the ball could reach a North Middlesex stick and dribbled up the field. Approaching the goal from the side, she lured the goalie toward the corner of the net. She quickly passed horizontally to junior Lauren Hadorn, who pushed the ball into the goal before the goalie could side shuffle to block it, resulting in a loud cheer from the Bromfield fans on the sidelines.
However, after the goal, Bromfield began to face multiple penalties for not giving North Middlesex players space on free hits. Sophomore Chloe Fitzgibbons was the first to be carded and was sent to the sidelines for two minutes, leaving Bromfield at the disadvantage of having only 10 players on the field compared to North Middlesex’s 11.
It did not end there. In the second half, Greer Jarvis was also carded, this time a yellow card for the 5-yard violation of space, sending her out of play for five minutes. After that, sophomore Sasha Fraser was sent out of play as well for her 5-yard violation, giving her 10 minutes on the sidelines.
Coach Sue Silver remarked after the game, “We haven’t been carded or even warned all season. This is what, our sixth game? … This weekend I have a goal to check exactly what the rules say.”
“We had players out for 17 minutes,” Silver continued. “More than half of the second half was 10 players against 11.”
Silver and the team still have their eyes on the district playoffs. If the districts were held right now, we’d make it,” Silver said. “We have two wins and two losses, and the two ties we have are moot.”
Bromfield will play Littleton at home Friday, Sept. 30, and Tyngsborough at home Wednesday, Oct. 5.
Kate Selig is a Bromfield sophomore.
