With their regular season solidly behind them, the Bromfield School girls varsity lacrosse team spent the tail end of the spring rebuilding and gaining experience. After losing seven seniors to graduation in 2022, the Trojans are now made up of mostly underclassmen. The young team, although skilled, is finishing the season with a record of 5-12, having lost against Algonquin Regional High School in the first round of the Central Mass. Class A tournament and later against Nashoba Regional High School in a consolation game.
The game against Algonquin ended with a score of 23-14 on Tuesday, May 23. This was Bromfield’s third time playing Algonquin this season, and the result was unsurprising. “We were playing the best team in our conference. And, you know, they were a great team. They have a lot of college recruits,” said Bromfield’s coach, Jim Pierce. Bromfield lost to the larger school twice in the past, but still put up a fight and held Algonquin within a few points for most of the game.
The Trojans fought for each of their goals, winning nearly half of the faceoffs in the first half. Senior captain Julia Kimball can be credited with most of these, winning 10 faceoffs and making most of the runs to goal. Bromfield’s next highest scorers were junior captain Kristin Podgorni with 8 goals, and eighth-grader Ryan Pinney with 4. This brought Podgorni closer to her 100th goal, which she scored against Nashoba the following Thursday.
Pierce praised each of these players, saying they all played a great game. He also commended the spirit of the entire team. “Our girls don’t point the finger at anyone, don’t make excuses. We just battle every goal,” he said.
As the game wore on, however, the Trojans began to slip. Pierce noted that they “ran out of gas at the end.” This has been a common thread in many of their games, according to Bromfield athletic director Dave Boisvert, who said, “They haven’t put many complete games together.” By the second half, the gap in the score increased from 1 or 2 points to around 9.
While the scoreboard was not in Bromfield’s favor, the players took the loss in stride. “It’s nice to get to play against some girls who are a lot better than me, and who can challenge me to always become a better player,” said Pinney. “We’re always focusing on the next game and what we can improve on and do better.”
To that end, the team has been working on defensive zone coverage and becoming sharper on the offensive. Pierce plans to work on set plays, improve defensively against cutters, and keep their defense from giving up easy goals. Most of their improvement, however, will depend on developing the younger players. Next year, many players will rise from junior varsity, which had a .500 season. “There’s a lot of talent there, and that’s a lot of talent coming back next year, so I’m really excited about the future,” said Pierce.
As the MIAA Division 3 state tournament begins next week, the Trojans will play against schools with more similar programs and enrollments, rather than schools in Division 1 like Algonquin. Bromfield is currently ranked 13 out of 50 schools in the division. They will also drop from the Mid-Wach A League to Mid-Wach B for the next couple years as their players mature and rebuild.
“I’m hoping we can get a few games into the playoffs, but I’m really happy and impressed by the improvements those guys made so far,” said graduating senior Kimball. “I already see the season as a success.”
Bromfield/North Middlesex boys lacrosse
Bromfield junior Luke MacLean prevents a goal in a playoff game against the Tantasqua Warriors on May 26. Bromfield/North Middlesex won 13-10.(Courtesy photo)
