On the heels of its thrilling shootout victory over Nipmuc in the MIAA Central Division 3 semifinals, the Bromfield varsity girls soccer team faced Holy Name of Worcester Thursday, Nov. 14, in a game for the championship. Although Bromfield jumped to an early lead, it became clear the game would not be a runaway. Bromfield stayed strong but the girls were ultimately worn down by Holy Name’s fast, aggressive strikers, and Bromfield lost, 3-2.
But opening moments of the game were promising. It took only two-and-a half minutes for Bromfield to find the back of the net when junior Bella Kehoe delivered a pass to the top of the goalie box where her twin sister, Olivia Kehoe, was ready to smash it in from about 18 yards out. This winning pair had been connecting all season, and the team was off to a good start. The play was back and forth for the next several minutes, with Bromfield repelling Holy Name’s advances, staying strong and composed. Their attacking play led to an eighth-minute corner kick, where senior Sam Schoenberg directed a powerful kick to the far post. Olivia Kehoe was able to run through the ball and body it in, putting Bromfield ahead 2-0. The atmosphere was electric, and it seemed the Bromfield fans were in for a good night.
Senior Co-Captain Sam Schoenberg takes aim to send the ball upfield in Bromfield’s loss to Holy Name. (Photo by Kent Boynton)
Holy Name appeared undeterred and launched several strong counterattacks, advancing the ball to their striker and top player, sophomore Hailey Houston, who quickly covered a lot of ground and moved the ball to threatening areas. The Bromfield defense remained composed, but conceded a corner kick in the 12th minute. The kick was a tough one to defend and resulted in a good chance for a goal, narrowly missing the low corner. The result was another corner kick. This time the kicker drilled it in on the front post, and out of a crowded melee in front of the net, Holy Name’s Sarah Rucci banged the ball in, cutting Bromfield’s lead in half at 2-1.
Bromfield was unshaken, and the play continued fairly evenly through the 23rd minute, with Bromfield continuing its stand-up defense and Holy Name shooting from distances, shots easily handled by goalkeeper Annabel Ashe. With five minutes remaining in the half, a possibility opened up for Bromfield, but senior Natalie L’Ecuyer was held up and denied a clear break-in on goal. The ensuing free kick was handled by the Holy Name goalie.
Back-and-forth action continued without any goal scoring opportunities until, with under two minutes remaining in the half, Holy Name proved it is not a one-player team. Senior Janelle Schulman made a run from her back line position and put a ball across the face of the goal, which her teammate connected on for a near miss. The half ended with Bromfield up 2-1, and things looked promising. Unfortunately, Holy Name came out for the second half firing on all cylinders.
Olivia Kehoe scores her second goal of the game early in at the first half with a body shot deflection. (Photo by Tim Clark)
Holy Name took the opening second-half kick, went immediately on the attack, and did not relent. The Bromfield defense continued to defend well and prevented any real scoring opportunities. Bromfield mustered a small resurgence and a nice passing combination from Bella Kehoe to Katie Iacomini, who got the ball to Olivia Kehoe for a nice shot on goal. It was stopped with a diving save by the goalkeeper, who could not control the rebound, but there was no one there to put it in. Holy Name continued the offensive pressure and in the 26th minute was awarded a free kick for a hand ball penalty just outside the 18-yard box. The well-struck cross sailed to the far post, where Holy Name’s Houston was there for the tap-in that tied the game 2-2. Coach Katie Greene said after the game, “We gave up two goals on set pieces—which can be very hard to defend against aggressive, hungry teams. The defensive line played so tough out there and dealt with tons of pressure on them all game long.”
The Holy Name girls did not let up and finally put the game away with some excellent passing of their own that resulted in a clear break-in on net by freshman Mia Monje, who blasted one from close range, giving Bromfield’s goalie no chance and scoring the game winner.
Coach Greene congratulated both teams for playing a “fast-paced game and a hard-fought battle.” She added, “These girls left it all on the field Thursday night, and I am so proud of them for what they accomplished this season together.”
