What a difference a month makes. When the Bromfield boys soccer team last played the Maynard Tigers in an away game Sept. 4, the result was a 2-2 tie. But when the teams met for a second time last week in a home game on Oct. 3, Bromfield dominated, shutting out Maynard 4-0 and rising to first place in the Midland-Wachusett League C Division.
Senior Owen Balsis dribbles past the Maynard defense. (Photos by Julian Kosciak)
“We’re playing up to our potential, finally,” coach Alex Horne told the players. “But let’s keep this rolling,” he added, warning against complacency.
“It’s the first game we’ve really put everything together—our best game of the season,” co-captain Conor Glew said in a postgame interview.
Isaac Balicky was the first to score for Bromfield, five minutes into the game, on an assist by Owen Balsis. It was Balicky’s first goal as a varsity player. Liam Glew was next, converting a corner kick served by Balsis into Maynard’s box. When the first half ended, Bromfield was ahead 2-0.
But it was during the second half that the team seemed to find its rhythm. Bromfield’s defense, anchored by fullback Finn Candon, rarely allowed Tiger attackers past the midfield, while Bromfield’s offense peppered Maynard’s goalie Max James with repeated shots on goal. Trojan goalie Jacob Dangle was left with little to do, and junior Alex Senykoff subbed for the final 10 minutes of play,
Senior co-captain Conor Glew reacts after scoring the Trojans’ third goal out of four.
Trojans scored twice more in the second half. First, Conor Glew on yet another assist by Balsis—his third—and then Liam Glew, who earned the game’s final point unassisted.
The Maynard-Bromfield rivalry is longstanding, and the Tigers are known for the physicality of their play. Last week’s game, likely their final encounter of the season, was no exception. Bromfield was awarded nine free kicks, all of them direct, though none was converted. Tiger players drew two yellow cards, one in each half, and two left the game with injuries.
“[A Maynard match] is always a battle, and it always gets physical, and it’s always very fulfilling when we come out on top,” said Horne. But he said he’d like to see improvement in the team’s ability to convert corners and free kicks. In the Maynard game, the team scored on only one of its seven corners, well below the 30% to 40% he’d like to see.
The Bromfield boys extended their winning streak to nine straight games Monday, Oct. 6, with a 2-0 win away against nonleague rival Clinton. As this week’s paper was being assembled, the team was preparing for its most challenging match of the season against Division 1 Concord-Carlisle Regional, set to get underway at 10 a.m. Saturday, Oct. 11.
