The seemingly unstoppable march of an energized Bromfield girls lacrosse team (18–7) toward a state title was halted last Saturday by a 12–10 loss to the Norwell Clippers (22–3). The end of the girls’ remarkable journey came in a hard-fought MIAA Division 2 state championship game played on a damp and dismally overcast June 23 afternoon at Boston University’s Nickerson Field.
It was Norwell’s eighth Division 2 state championship, its third in four years, and Bromfield’s second run, having last competed for the title in 2014 when the team lost a heartbreaker to Newburyport 7–6. But Coach David Planchet said he was “not super down” about the loss. “Listen, [Norwell’s] a fantastic team,” he said. “They’re top five in the state, and little old Bromfield stuck with them toe-to-toe. We had a great year. There’s nothing to be ashamed of.”
Bromfield freshman Liv Kehoe (left) watches Izzy Planchet (right) face off against Murphy McDonough of Norwell. (Photos by Lisa Aciukewicz)
As they had throughout the 2018 season, the girls played with heart and determination until the final horn sounded. Three freshman players led by Izzy Planchet dominated draw control, as they have throughout the playoffs, winning 18 faceoffs while allowing Norwell only six. Planchet won 12; Belle Kehoe, 4; and Olivia Kehoe, 2. “We were killing it,” said Coach Planchet. The Clippers, however, were better able to capitalize on their breakaways, and once they had taken a three-point lead in the opening minutes of play, the team continued to lead for the rest of the game—at one point by five points. Bromfield rallied twice in the second half but was plagued by turnovers, 16 compared to Norwell’s six, eight of which occurred at crucial moments in the second half when the team appeared to have regained momentum.
Clippers lead early
The first eight minutes of play were scoreless. Bromfield’s Planchet won the first draw, but despite controlling the ball for more than four minutes, the Trojans were unable to penetrate Norwell’s seven-player zone backer defense. Following a series of back-and-forth turnovers, Norwell’s freshman Allison Connerty scored her team’s first goal with 16:59 minutes remaining in the first half. Norwell junior Maddie McDonough and her sister senior Murphy McDonough each added a goal to the Clipper total, scored a minute apart, to bring the score to 3–0 in Norwell’s favor.
Bromfield never recovered from that early deficit but repeatedly came within a point of tying the game. With 12 minutes remaining in the half, Olivia Kehoe was the first to score for Bromfield. She was followed two minutes later by Planchet, whose goal reduced the Clipper’s lead to 3–2. Norwell’s Murphy McDonough, however, won the next draw, and her sister Maddie answered Planchet with yet another Clipper goal less than a minute later. With Norwell leading 4–2, control seesawed between the two teams until, with less than two minutes remaining on the clock, Bromfield senior Chandler Farley cut to the Clipper goal, took a pass from Belle Kehoe, pivoted and scored. As the horn sounded to end the first half, the Trojans found themselves only a point behind, 4–3.
Goalie Emily Podgorni looks for the ball after she blocks it with her leg. Podgorni had a busy day with seven saves, including this one.
The pace of scoring picked up in the second half, with the Clippers building what seemed to be a commanding 8–3 lead on goals by Maddie McDonough (2), Murphy McDonough (1), and junior Annie Hilsinger (1). But with 18 minutes remaining on the clock, Bromfield found a way to break Norwell’s momentum. First, junior Courtney Route sneaked from behind the Clippers’ net to fire a shot from the left side. The Trojans won four of the next five draws and added four more points to their total on goals by Olivia Kehoe (2), Belle Kehoe (1), and freshman Isabelle Katter (1), with an assist from Planchet. Clipper Maddie McDonough interrupted Bromfield’s rally with a goal scored on a penalty shot, but with 9:30 remaining on the clock, Bromfield had narrowed Norwell’s lead to 9–8.
‘A great game’
Clippers Maddie McDonough and Allison Connerty, however, quickly rebuilt Norwell’s advantage to 11–8 with back-to-back goals. Bromfield rallied one last time, as Olivia Kehoe found openings to score twice more, bringing the score to 11–10. The final goal of the game came with 4:31 remaining. Clipper Maddie McDonough recovered a ground ball and passed it to sister Murphy, who raced toward Bromfield’s goal and fired a final shot into the net. With 1:48 remaining, the Clippers called a timeout. When they returned, they ran out the clock with a well-rehearsed “stall” and the game ended 12–10.
Liv Kehoe shoots one of her five goals of the game.
Olivia Kehoe was Bromfield’s top scorer, with five of the team’s 10 goals. Bromfield senior goalie Emily Podgorni had a big game with seven saves. She and seniors Anita Childers, Emily Heinemann, and Chandler Farley have graduated and will not return in 2019. But the rest of the squad, including 14 underclassmen, will be back for another run.
Norwell Coach Kara Connerty had high praise for the Trojans. The team “was obviously well coached,” she said. “Their players are terrific. They’re young. It was a great state championship.” Connerty said the decision to use a zone backer defense had made the difference in the outcome: “I had seen [Bromfield] before so I knew how fast they were. I think [the zone defense] helped us, that we were already packed, in a zone, waiting for them to come to us.”
Coach Planchet was already looking to the future. “We didn’t expect to be here,” he said. “I knew my freshmen were going to be good. I didn’t know they were going to be this good.” He added, “I hope my words don’t come back to bite me. … The last time we were here I said I hoped to be back soon. I hope it’s not as long this time. These kids have a huge opportunity to keep growing because they’re so young.”
