The Bromfield girls lacrosse team beat the South Division 2 champion Norwell High School Clippers 14-2 in a decisive matchup Tuesday night at Littleton Middle School. The win will advance the undefeated Trojans to the Massachusetts Interscholastic Athletic Association state Division 2 finals.
The game got underway under lights shortly after 8 p.m., having been delayed twice to allow temperatures to drop into the upper 80s following a day of record-breaking heat. The bleachers were packed with Bromfield fans. Bromfield’s athletic director, Dave Boisvert, agreed the weather “felt like Florida.”
Bromfield senior Izzy Planchet won the first face-off, and she and her teammates dominated the field for most of the quarter, scoring their first goal on a pass from Planchet to senior Bella Kehoe two and a half minutes into the game.
Izzy Planchet flies up the sideline. (Photos by Lisa Aciukewicz
A second goal followed less than two minutes later on a penalty shot by senior Izzy Katter. And Bella and her sister Liv Kehoe capped off the quarter with a pair of goals scored in the period’s final seconds. Bella was first to score on a pass from Liv with only 14 seconds remaining on the clock. Then, after winning draw control, Bella raced downfield, her teammates shouting out the remaining seconds from the sidelines, and flipped the ball to Liv who buried it in Norwell’s net just as the end-of-quarter horn sounded.
In the second quarter, Bromfield scored three times to increase its lead to 7-0. Norwell’s speedy senior midfielder Lily Amorosino managed to slip a difficult shot past Bromfield junior goalie Peyton Van Dorpe to chip away at the Clippers’ deficit, but the half ended with Bromfield well ahead 7-1.
In the second half, Bromfield added seven goals to its total, while Clipper senior midfielder Annie Connerty scored a single unassisted goal at the top of the fourth quarter. But by then the game was lost. And as if to put an exclamation point on the evening’s performance, Planchet dodged and wove her way through Norwell defenders to shoot and score—unassisted—the final game goal with a little more than three minutes remaining,
Goalie Peyton Van Dorpe makes one of eight saves in the semifinal match against Norwell.
As Bromfield fans pounded the floor of the Littleton bleachers, the Trojans ran out the clock and then raced to the center of the field to celebrate. The lights on the Littleton scoreboard read: Home 14, Guest 2.
In postgame comments, Norwell coach Kara Connerty said her players had a hard time with Bromfield’s versatile offense. “And we had some difficulties with our attack; we just really weren’t able to put those balls away like we’ve been [doing] all season long.”
For Bromfield coach Dave Planchet the 14-2 victory was sweet. “Oh what a feeling,” he said. Three years ago, in 2018, the Trojans faced Norwell in the Division 2 state final and lost 12-10. At the time, Izzy Planchet and the Kehoe sisters were freshmen. This year, Bromfield turned the tables.
The speed, grittiness, and athleticism of Bromfield’s players were on display throughout the evening. Co-captains Planchet and Bella and Liv Kehoe won 14 of 19 draw controls. A total of six players, including the three co-captains, contributed to Bromfield’s 17 points. And crucially, junior goalie Peyton Van Dorpe was credited with eight saves.
“Our goalie!” exclaimed Izzy Planchet in an after-game interview, motioning to Van Dorpe to join the conversation. “This is one of the things that worked best for our team today.” Other factors? Winning face-offs. “I think everything started and ended there for sure,” said Planchet. “[Our] passing communication was really good,” added Liv Kehoe. “We connected really well on the attack.”
Still, Tuesday’s playoff was a different game from the one played against Mt. Greylock High School last Friday for the MIAA Central West Division 2 title. Norwell’s zone defense slowed Bromfield’s attack in the first half. The Trojans had more turnovers and were less adept than the Clippers at recovering loose balls. “It’s always harder to play zone, and they’re really well coached,” said Planchet. “But at the end of the day, the plays that we had in our pocket were really effective … and helped us take apart the defense.”
Bella Kehoe and Katter had four goals apiece, junior Tallie Dutkewych and Planchet had two each, and Liv Kehoe and freshman Kristin Podgorni each scored one. More than half (eight) were made with assists.
The undefeated Trojans (20-0) are scheduled to play the East Division 2 champion Dover-Sherborn High School Raiders (15-1) Thursday night, 7 p.m., at Littleton Middle School to decide which team will claim the 2021 State Division 2 championship. “It will be a good game,” coach Planchet told the Press, noting that the Raiders shared many of Bromfield’s best attributes: speed, athleticism, and offensive acumen. “You’re gonna watch them play and you’re going to remember these words: They’re built exactly like us.”
