The Bromfield varsity boys soccer team (9-2-0) played Nashoba Regional (10-0-0) 4-1 in a non-league home game at Harvard Park last Friday, Oct. 6, upsetting the No. 1 Division 2 team in the state and handing the Wolves their first loss of the season.
“If you didn’t believe this team had it, you better believe it now,” coach Alex Horne told his jubilant players.
Both Nashoba and Bromfield had played other teams the previous day, but Nashoba’s game against North Middlesex, the top Division 1 team in the state, had been a bruiser. The Wolves eked out a 2-1 victory, but Nashoba coach Matt Davison said he would have preferred the match with Bromfield to be played on Saturday, as originally scheduled, allowing a day of recovery for his players. With downpours in the forecast, however, Bromfield pushed to move the game to Friday. On Thursday, Bromfield had easily beaten a weak Littleton team 5-1, subbing bench players in the second half and giving its starters a rest.
Junior co-captain Brendan Listzwan led the scoring against Nashoba Friday with three goals; Conor Glew scored the fourth. Liam Glew, Conor’s brother, had two assists.
Bromfield goalkeeper Luke Maclean leaps to divert a Nashoba kick up and over the goal in Bromfield’s 4-1 victory over Nashoba Regional, Oct. 6. (Photos by Kent Boynton)
Nashoba had its opportunities and there were close calls for Bromfield goalkeeper Luke Maclean, who made at least four saves. But the Wolves scored their only goal on a penalty kick early in the first quarter, and for the remaining 75 minutes of play they were unable to crack Bromfield’s backfield, protected by co-captain Christopher Demetros, Jacob Dangel, and Josh Pelak. Freshman fullback Finn Candon, who has been out with a back injury for most of the season, played for 20 minutes, stepping up more than once to disrupt a developing Nashoba attack.
Nashoba scored its one and only goal barely 10 minutes into the game on a penalty kick awarded for a handball violation inside the Bromfield penalty box.
Bromfield responded 10 minutes later. An attack on the left drew Nashoba’s defenders and goalkeeper, Jamie Fisher, away from the net, leaving Listzwan open to move to the center and scoot a shot into the center of the empty goal.
In the second half, Nashoba attempted to regain the lead, moving its players upfield but leaving gaps in its defense. Twice in the final 15 minutes of the game Liam Glew counterattacked down the left sideline and found teammates in position to receive crosses in front of the Nashoba goal. First, it was Listzwan, who headed Glew’s pass into the center of the net for the second goal of the afternoon; then, two minutes later, it was Conor Glew’s turn to score on a cross from his brother.
Bromfield captain Brendan Listzwan fights through two Nashoba defenders.
With Bromfield now ahead 3-1, Nashoba called time out. When the teams returned, and with barely two minutes remaining, Listzwan was fouled and awarded a direct kick just outside Nashoba’s penalty box. When Listzwan made his move, the goalkeeper dove to the right, and the ball sailed into the center of the net to cap the victory.
“I feel like we just did the … strategy our coach was telling us to do the whole time,” said Demetros. “We got it [the ball] down[field] and then we played it across. They [Nashoba’s defense] didn’t know what to do because they were just sitting in the middle.”
As the Trojan players huddled Friday before lining up to shake hands with their opponents, coach Horne warned them not to let the victory go to their heads. “Acknowledge it. Celebrate it. But complacency kills, right?” Thinking that they could coast to victory for the rest of the season would hurt them when they faced tough teams in the playoffs, he said. “So we need to continue this trajectory, going to the top, and when [teams] like this get in our way, we do this to them.”
With its 9-2-0 season record, Bromfield has jumped to the No. 1 spot among the 83 teams in Division 5 of the Massachusetts Interscholastic Athletics Association. Within the seven-school Midland-Wachusett C League, however, Bromfield is neck-and-neck with MIAA Division 3 leader Oakmont (9-2-0) for first place.
Because they are in different divisions, the Division 5 Trojans will never face Division 3 Oakmont at the state championships. To bring home their sixth straight Division 5 state title, the Trojans will likely need to once again conquer their traditional rivals, the Sutton Sammies, now the second place Division 5 team in the MIAA power rankings.
The boys were set to play two more games before ending their regular season and preparing for the league and sectional championships. They were scheduled to take on non-league and Division 1 Algonquin (5-4-2) this coming Saturday, Oct. 14, followed by Mid-Wach C rival Quabbin (2-8-0) next Tuesday, Oct. 17.
