Senior Matt Olejarz sends the ball upfield. (Photos by Daniel Shrives)
The 2014 Bromfield varsity boys’ soccer team opened its season with a 3–0 loss to Nipmuc on Sept. 6 on their home field.
With a completely revamped roster and a few new faces, the Trojans struggled from the start. Within the first minutes of the game, Nipmuc had scored two goals. First, a Bromfield foul earned Nipmuc a free direct kick at the goal. Nipmuc’s Brandon Esker took the kick and scored. Then, just minutes later, Esker got the ball off to Bernard Broni who scored Nipmuc’s second goal for a lead of 2-0. Bromfield immediately called for time out.
As the half resumed, both Bromfield and Nipmuc began to lock down their defenses. Bromfield’s goalie Ben Cadman and Nipmuc’s Sam Manning both put on strong performances; and with better defense on both sides, neither team had many opportunities to score. Bromfield had an especially tough time with Manning and the rest of the Nipmuc defense. To make matters more difficult, Omar Al-Homsi was subbed out in the middle of the half with an apparent injury to his mouth. The half ended with Nipmuc still up 2–0.
Defensive play dominates second half
The stellar defensive play continued in the second half, stopping any chance for a running game by either side. Freshman Jack Armstrong of Bromfield made most of Bromfield’s shots on goal but wasn’t able to get one into the net. Nipmuc’s Aaron Kearnan capitalized on a defensive miscue from Bromfield and scored, making it a 3–0 game.
Sophomore Sam Hays races for the ball.
In an attempt to get Bromfield on the board, Al-Homsi fired a kick that went wide of the goal, but he then fell to the ground in evident pain, leaving the game for the second time. Luke Karis of Bromfield also suffered an injury to the knee and was subbed out as well. Bromfield’s best chance at scoring came on a free kick attempt by Adam Lorenz-Kruk, one of the team’s captains. However, Manning dove to his left to catch it, keeping Nipmuc’s shutout intact. After a few more amazing saves by Manning, the game ended with Nipmuc taking the opener from Bromfield 3–0.
Bromfield’s next game was played against Lunenburg on Wednesday, Sept. 10 (no score at press time).
Michael Jarosz is a senior at the Bromfield School.
