Bromfield’s quest for a sixth straight Division 5 boys soccer state championship ended Wednesday night, Nov. 15, with a loss to No. 2 seed Douglas at Ayer Shirley’s Norton Field.
The teams were tied 0-0 after 80 minutes of regular play followed by two 10-minute sudden-death overtime periods. But it was Douglas that won, 3-2, the best-of-five shootout stipulated by the Massachusetts Interscholastic Athletic Association for breaking ties, earning the Tigers a 1-0 victory over Bromfield.
Fullback Finn Candon settles the ball. (Photo by Lisa Aciukewicz)
“It was a battle,” said Douglas coach Alex Ferguson, who is retiring after 22 years with the Tigers. “It’s always a battle with Bromfield. They’ve probably taken us out of the playoffs six or seven times.” Most recently, in 2021, Douglas lost the Division 5 championship to Bromfield 1-0 in overtime. This year’s win was the first time in all his years of coaching that Douglas had ever beaten Bromfield in postseason play, Ferguson told the Press.
There was plenty of energy in the packed stands and on the field as the game got underway. Temperatures hovered in the low 40s. The western sky was streaked black and red. The turf field glowed an iridescent green under its lights.
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Bromfield’s Conor Glew (#3 in white jersey) manages to pass the ball to a teammate before a Douglas defender intercepts it. (Photo by Kent Boynton)
The No. 3 seed Trojans, wearing their white, visiting-team uniforms for the first time in this year’s state contest, seemed primed to score early. For 15 minutes they dominated the field. Christopher Demetros, Ethan Russo, and Theo Myles each launched solid shots on goal, but all three were blocked by Douglas goalie Gavin Gualtieri, a foreshadowing of what was to come.
Co-captain Brendan Listzwan, the team’s top scorer, had been moved to the midfield and was suffering from a knee injury. One of his best scoring opportunities came midway through the first half. On a free kick by freshman backfielder Finn Candon from the Douglas 35-yard line, Listzwan sprinted to the Tigers’ goal and headed the well-placed incoming ball toward the top center of the net, only to have it intercepted by a leaping Gualtieri, making one of his eight crucial saves of the evening.
By the end of the first half, the match had settled into a defensive stalemate, with neither team able to get balls past the supercharged defenders of their opponent. Douglas senior midfielder Chris Dane came close in the final four minutes of regulation play with a dangerous shot, saved by Bromfield senior goalie Luke MacLean.
“A huge shout out to our defense and our goalie,” Bromfield Coach Alex Horne said after the game. “For 80 minutes they were kept under pressure by Douglas and they kept the game scoreless for 80 minutes. … I give them a lot of credit.”
The defensive battle continued into the two sudden-death overtimes that followed. Russo had a near miss that careened off the left pole of the Douglas net early in the first overtime period, and Lucas Bala came close to scoring with two minutes remaining. Senior Douglas forward Owen Gray had a near miss against Bromfield in the second overtime, but MacLean came to the rescue with his fifth and final save of the night.
With the score tied 0-0 after 20 minutes of overtime, MIAA rules required that the game be settled by penalty kicks, the winning team being the one that, given five attempts, outscored its opponent. Bromfield’s first two shooters, Vasilis Psathas and Ryan Donahoe scored, but the next two shots were deflected by Gualtieri. Douglas’ first shooter, goalie Gualtieri, was blocked by MacLean, but the next three scored, leaving Douglas with a 3-2 advantage.
Playing midfielder, co-captain Brendan Listzwan (#10 in white jersey) fights for the ball with his Douglas opponent. (Photo by Lisa Aciukewicz)
With a fifth and final shot remaining, Bromfield had one chance to tie the score as co-captain Listzwan stepped forward. Listzwan placed the ball on the 20-yard line and waited for the referee’s whistle. Then, with a running start, he booted it toward the left side of the Tigers’ net. But Gualtieri dove left, seemingly anticipating the shot and batted it away. There would be no championship for Bromfield this year, as the blue-uniformed Tigers rushed onto the field to claim their prize.
“It was a tough game,” said a dejected Listzwan. “They’re a very good team.” He added, “It was a very good season for the boys. We played very hard and very well to get here. It’s a hard loss to take.”
Lack of effort was not an issue, Horne said after the game. “I think the kids played with heart. We had our opportunities and, unfortunately, it’s a game of inches. Douglas made the shots and made the big saves.”
Three days later, however, in an ironic twist of fate, Douglas lost its chance for a Division 5 state championship to Westport, 1-0, when that game went to penalty kicks and the Wildcats outscored the Tigers 4-2.
The 2023 Trojans had their doubters when the season began. But with an overall 17-5-1 record, and single-point-only losses to tough rivals in the Central Mass. Class C finals and MIAA Division 3 semifinals, the young team went further than many expected.
“Hold your heads high,” Horne told the players, as they lined up to congratulate the Tigers.
