In a nail-biting shootout, the Bromfield girls beat Nipmuc Regional High School 1-0 in the MIAA Central Division 3 semifinals Monday, Nov. 11, on a neutral field at Assabet Valley Regional Technical High School. “Earning a shutout against a number-one seed is a true testament to our defensive line and our goalkeeper,” Coach Katie Greene said. “They played lights out!”
Julia Mara is embraced by teammates after scoring the go-ahead goal as Bromfield’s last shooter during the second round of penalty kicks. (Photos by Tim Clark)
At the end of regulation time, the game was scoreless. Both teams had a strong defense, and although Bromfield strikers were able to make a few strategic adjustments to get free and find the space on the field, “the shots just didn’t fall for us tonight,” Greene said.
The game went into a 10-minute sudden-death overtime. Bromfield kept the pressure on, but neither team was able to score, leading to another sudden-death overtime. By the end of another scoreless 10 minutes, the teams had been on the field for 100 minutes. But the girls never let up. “From the minute we stepped off the bus, I could see these girls were ready. They kept this same energy up all night, and I really believe this is what helped us win,” said Greene.
It would be a battle of the goalies in penalty kicks. The best out of five shots would determine the winner. Sophomore Abby Baker, junior Bella Kehoe, and senior Sam Schoenberg made good on their kicks, but three out of five Nipmuc players also made goals.
Goalie Annabel Ashe is mobbed by her teammates after she makes the final save in the second round of penalty kicks. Bromfield edged out Nipmuc after two scoreless overtime periods.
Now the game would be determined by one team making a goal and the other missing it within one round. Increased pressure came as, one by one, each team missed the net or was thwarted by the opposition’s goalie. After three missed shots by each team, sophomore Julia Mara scored to give Bromfield the edge. But Nipmuc had a chance to tie things up again and prolong the game. Sophomore Annabel Ashe readied herself for the shot. The Nipmuc player sent the ball in and Ashe dove for it to make her final stop of the game and seal the win. Greene had high praise for Ashe: “She made so many clutch saves and plays throughout regulation and OT [overtime] and also made three huge saves during the PK [penalty kick] shootout. We would not have won without her.”
The girls play Holy Name Central Catholic on Thursday at 4:30 p.m. at Whitcomb Middle School in Marlborough, for the Division 3 District title. “This team earned their spot in the finals, and I could not be more proud to be their coach and make this run with them,” Greene said.
