The girls varsity lacrosse team thrived in the more spring-like weather last week, winning their game 11-3 against Oakmont on Tuesday, April 15, and losing by just one goal in overtime, 12-11, to Tyngsborough Thursday, April 17. Their current record is two wins and three losses.
The game against Oakmont on its home turf in Townsend saw the Trojans battling wild weather, with high wind gusts, dropping temperatures, and bouts of rain. Additionally, coach Ali Wicks said Oakmont’s hard-to-predict game strategy and the Trojans’ draw specialist being injured forced a new lineup that hadn’t been tested during practice. It took a few plays before Bromfield settled into the game, but once they managed to take control of the draw, they also took control of the match.
Clementine Roy threads the needle and slips through the defense in a game against Tyngsborough. (Photos by Lisa Aciukewicz)
“Our defense played very well,” said Wicks. “[They] caused Oakmont to turn the ball over five times in the first half. By the end of the first half, we were up 8-1. We held onto the lead and even saw some new players, including a JV player we brought up for the game, earn their first varsity goals. We beat them to ground balls 22-7!”
Game high-scorer and junior Kate Wicks (daughter of coach Wicks) had four goals. Goalie and junior Darragh O’Connor had nine saves in the net.
On Thursday, April 15, the Trojans played their game against Tyngsborough under blue skies on the field at McCurdy Track. The game was dedicated to Morgan’s Message, a nonprofit organization that raises awareness for mental health within the student athlete community. Junior varsity players held up a sign at the beginning of the game in tribute to Morgan Rodgers, a former Duke lacrosse player, who struggled with mental health and ultimately took her own life.
Heading into the game, Wicks said she was similarly flummoxed by the Tigers’ record as she was by Oakmont. “They had beaten teams we lost to and almost lost to teams we had handily defeated,” she said. “We still had our new draw formation on the circle, and I had some concerns about Tyngsborough’s ability to beat us to possession and control the game.”
The game was neck and neck throughout, with Bromfield taking the lead and then Tyngsborough coming back to tie up the score. The Tigers defense did a good job shutting down some of Bromfield’s higher goal scorers. “When we were tied at the end of regulation, I knew it was going to end with which team won the draw,” said Wicks. “Unfortunately, they beat us to the ball in overtime, and completed a fast break play to score on us.”
Hanna Wicks shoots on goal.
