The Bromfield girls varsity soccer team tied Oakmont Regional 1-1 in a home game Thursday, Sept. 29. The Trojans, with a record of 2-3-1, had narrowly beaten the Oakmont Spartans (1-5-2) in their first game of the season and expected similar results the second time around. Since then, however, much has changed for the Trojans, who have a new coach and several injuries.
Ashlyn Mara beats the Oakmont goalkeeper to the ball on her way to scoring a goal. This was Bromfield’s only goal in the matchup with Oakmont. (Photos by Lisa Aciukewicz)
Co-captain Kennedy Dylewicz directs her teammates in an earlier game against Maynard. In a subsequent match Dylewicz suffered torn ligaments and a fractured tibia and is now out for the season.
The game started off well for the Trojans, who held the Spartans at 0-0, making four saves and as many shots on goal. By the end of the first half, the game seemed in Bromfield’s favor; they held possession for much of the second quarter. After halftime, however, the team’s energy and morale began to fade, and they gave up a goal. Coach Gina Caissey attributed the letdown to a failure in communication and a lack of subs from a shrinking roster.
Senior captains Kennedy Dylewicz and Ana Lora, as well as juniors Tilly Fitzgibbons and Wendy Aftosmis, were all out for the game with an array of injuries. Dylewicz, the team’s striker and one of its top scorers, is out for the season with torn ligaments and a fractured tibia. Lora, Fitzgibbons, and Aftosmis have since recovered from a concussion, sickness, and eye injury, respectively.
Despite having fewer subs, the Trojans leveled the game again at the beginning of the fourth quarter. Freshman Ashley Aftosmis crossed the ball to sophomore Ashlyn Mara, who scored from the penalty box. From there, neither team was able to score. Bromfield had one more corner, which it was unable to convert, and the goalie, third senior captain Ella O’Neil, made two more saves.
“I’m very proud of them,” said Caissey. “They played hard. And I’m happy with the outcome.”
Caissey rose from coaching junior varsity two weeks ago to replace former varsity coach Issa Hussein, who stepped away for personal reasons, according to the athletic director, David Boisvert. Captains Dylewicz and Lora agreed that Caissey’s coaching style allows for them to have more creativity on the field, whereas Hussein coached with more “yelling” and structure.
“I think he’s a great coach,” said O’Neil, “I just don’t think he was a perfect fit for our team and what we’re looking for.” Since the change, she said, the team has improved and grown closer. “We’ve been playing more as a team, and been very positive with each other, and just help each other up when we get knocked down. And I think that just makes us better together.”
Bromfield played two more home games Oct. 2 and 3 against Littleton High School and Tahanto Regional High School. The next game was at Littleton Thursday, Oct. 5.
