State champions for three straight years, the 2020 Bromfield Trojans continued to struggle last week, losing first to the Nashoba Regional High School Chieftains, 1-0 on Oct. 20, and tying the Maynard Tigers 2-2 on Oct. 22. Both games were played at home.
The Trojans managed one good quarter in their matchup with the Division 4 Tigers, but the first two belonged to the white-shirted Maynard players. Maynard’s senior co-captain Sean Roche was the first to score at four minutes into the game with a penalty kick that eluded Bromfield’s goalie, senior Ethan Fitzsimmons. For the rest of the half, however, the game seesawed from one end of the field to the other. Going into the second quarter, Bromfield adjusted its attack but was unable to penetrate Maynard’s aggressive defense. The two teams were tagged with roughly equal numbers of penalties, but two Maynard players were yellow-carded before the end of the second quarter.
Bromfield junior Zach Becker (8) leaps over the foot of a Maynard player as he goes for the ball. (Photo by Kent Boynton)
The third quarter was a different story for Bromfield, whose players completely controlled the tempo of the game for a full 20 minutes. Bromfield senior Alex Jorgensen and junior Ryan McNulty each scored within moments of each other, giving Bromfield a 2-1 margin as the quarter ended. But the lead was short-lived. In the final quarter, Maynard turned up the pressure, and a series of penalty calls against the Trojans handed the Tigers an abundance of direct kicks that kept goalie Fitzsimmons busy for the rest of the game—including his giant save of a penalty shot delivered by Maynard’s Roche directly in front of the net. But it was Roche who scored the day’s final goal, tying the score at 2-2 a few minutes later with a shot from the right past Fitzsimmons into the upper left corner of the net.
The third quarter was “some of the best offense” Bromfield had played all year, Coach Alex Horne told the team after the game. But the final quarter was the team’s worst so far, he added. “Have some pride,” he said. “Play for the seniors, who won’t have a chance to go to states this year.”
With the earlier loss to Nashoba last week, the team was left with a 2-2-1 record for the season. The boys faced the Tigers again on Tuesday, Oct. 27, this time on Maynard’s home field. The final score was a 3-1 loss for a 2-3-1 season record.
