Bromfield’s soccer girls finished up their league season Oct. 14 by decisively outscoring the Quabbin Regional Panthers 3-0 and securing a top spot in the upcoming central Massachusetts playoffs. The following day, Oct. 15, they were back on the field, where they faced the Massachusetts Interscholastic Athletic Association Division 1 Groton-Dunstable Regional High School Crusaders in a final hard-fought game that left both teams scoreless.
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Bromfield's Abigail Baker (13) glides into a kick. (Photos by Kent Boynton)
The sky was overcast and rain threatened as colder weather moved in as the Trojans lined up against the Groton-Dunstable players. Oct. 15 was the final day of nontournament play, and the match with Groton had already been postponed once due to rain. Due to the last-minute change in schedule, Coach Katie Green and Assistant Coach David Planchet were unable to attend, so JV coach Tyler Libonate stepped up to take their place.
The game was hard fought, with possession seesawing from one end of the field to the other and plenty of physical contact. Senior co-captain Katie Iacomini was shaken up in a collision with Groton-Dunstable senior goalie Anna Carney during the first half and had to temporarily leave the game. Later, in the second half, Carney was injured in a collision with Bromfield’s Tallie Dutkewych and was replaced by Groton senior Clare Joyce. Dutkewych was yellow-carded but returned for the final 10 minutes of play. Both goalies were critical players in their team’s defense, coming up with save after save.
Bromfield had one last chance to pull ahead in the final moments of the game. With less than a minute left, Bromfield earned a corner kick. Peyton van Dorpe sent a perfectly played ball arching towards attacker Iacomini, who was waiting directly in front of the Hawks’ net. But her header was blocked by Groton’s defenders, and Trojan fans let out an audible groan. Seconds later the whistle blew, ending the game.
“It was a week of adversity for them with all the changes in the schedule,” said Libonate, “but well played.” Said co-captain Iacomini, “We played to the best of our ability. They’re a big Division 1 school, and we had some unluckiness.”
The girls end the season with an 11-1-2 record. The Central Mass Athletic Directors Association playoffs are scheduled to begin this week, and the team was scheduled to play its first match, a quarterfinal, at home on Friday, Oct. 22, at 3:30 p.m.
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Bromfield’s Catalina Lora (10) beats her opponent to the ball.
