Bromfield’s varsity field hockey players held the Fitchburg Red Raiders scoreless, 2-0, last Friday, Sept. 22, in a non-league game played on the team’s fast home field on Mass. Ave. across from the elementary school.
“We needed that,” declared coach Sue Silver after the game.
It was the team’s second win of the season and its second against a non-league opponent. Fitchburg is a member of the Midland-Wachusett C League; Bromfield is a Mid-Wach D team this season. The team’s overall record now stands at 2-2-1.
Senior Olivia Muller-Juez strikes a ball from midfield. (Photo by Charlie Rubin)
The Trojans dominated the game all four quarters, maintaining possession and effectively disrupting Fitchburg’s periodic offensive threats. But Bromfield was unable to score until the fourth quarter when, five minutes into the period, senior right forward and co-captain Sanjana Shukla broke away in a fast counterattack down her side of the field, outpacing her defender and sending the ball past Fitchburg sophomore goalie Adeline Van Hazinga into the left side of the goal box.
The second goal was scored with barely five minutes left in the game, this time by freshman forward Anthony Cianfichi, who scored on an assist by sophomore forward Hannah Wicks.
Silver praised senior defender and co-captain Sophia Rypinski and others in the backfield for holding Fitchburg at bay. Junior goalie Hannah Murphy had two saves. The Trojans, however, were unable to score on any of the 15 corner penalties awarded them by the umpires. It was frustrating not to have scored, said Silver, “but we moved the ball well and our defense stepped up.”
The afternoon was a cool, somewhat breezy 64 degrees. A dozen or so spectators watched from folding chairs or the Mass. Ave. stone wall. Wispy clouds from an approaching tropical storm had begun to appear overhead, washing the sky in a high haze. In spite of the heavy rain of the prior weekend, Silver declared the field to be in good shape. “[The Department of Public Works] is mowing it really nicely,” she said. “It’s a fast field and we have a fast team. [Right and left forwards] Shukla and Olivia Muller-Juez are very, very fast.” The team does well on turf this year because of that speed, she added.
“I’m happy that we won; it’s been kind of a tough season,” said co-captain Muller-Juez. “I’ll just say, we’re really improving in learning to work as a team. Whether we beat another team by two or three goals, today I’m happy.”
Bromfield ranks fifth in the six-school Mid-Wach D League and as of midweek had yet to win a game against a league team. As this edition went to press, the team was preparing for a Sept. 27 away game against last place Gardner.
