Corrected and updated 9:00 a.m. Nov. 13, 2022
Led by freshman Ashlyn Mara and sophomore Tilly Fitzgibbons, the No. 13 seed Lady Trojans (8-9-1) outplayed and outscored the No. 20 Smith Academy Falcons (12-2-4) Saturday afternoon, Nov. 4, to advance to the second round of this year’s Massachusetts Interscholastic Athletic Association Division 5 playoffs. The 4-1 final score was a welcome win after the team’s disappointing losses in the Central Massachusetts Athletic Directors Association tournament in October.
Ashlyn Mara launches the ball to score a goal against Smith Academy. (Photos by Lisa Aciukewicz)
Midfielder Fitzgibbons, whose father announced Saturday’s game, scored first for Bromfield, three minutes into the first half, with a shot from 30 yards to the top of the Falcon net. The two teams held each other in check until, with one minute remaining in the half, forward Mara found an opening and scored Bromfield’s second goal, putting Bromfield ahead 2-0.
At the top of the second half, the Falcons fought back. Smith’s Emma Moynihan scored on an assist by Isabella Letourneau. But Bromfield responded with two goals. The first was scored by Mara with an assist by senior co-captain Julia Kimball, and the second, by Fitzgibbons, with an assist by sophomore Skye Ward-Caro.
The contest was not without injuries. Three Bromfield players had to leave the game; each had been hit in the head by a hard-driven ball, though all three were cleared to return after stints on the bench. Kimball suffered a shin injury and sat out the final minutes of the game with an ice pack on her leg. “She is going to be OK,” predicted Coach Issa. The team can’t afford to lose her, he told the Press. “She’s an Energizer Bunny. She is always going, never stops, never stops, never takes a day off.”
“For the first few minutes … we were very frazzled,” Kimball reflected as her team packed up to leave. “Honestly, probably from watching the boys team,” which barely won its match on penalty kicks, she said. “But eventually, we found our groove. I think overall, we did a great job there.” Kimball praised the play of sophomore Skye Ward-Caro, who made her debut as a varsity player in the second half.
As this week began, the girls were busy preparing for their round of 16 game against No. 4 seed Douglas (9-5-4) at Milbury on Thursday, Nov. 10, at 5 p.m. If the Lady Trojans win, they will advance to the quarterfinals.
From left: Ashlyn Mara, Clara Ames, Kennedy Dylewicz, AnaLucia Lora, and Joanna Juliano celebrate a goal.
Editor's note: This story has been updated to correct the last name of sophomore Skye Ward-Caro and credit her with an assist on the final goal of the game.
