by Julie Gowel ·
Friday, May 29, 2026
The Bromfield Girls varsity lacrosse team secured its place in round two of the Massachusetts Interscholastic Athletic Association Division 4 post-season playoffs on Thursday, May 28. In a decisive win over Triton Regional, which serves the MA coastal towns of Salisbury, Newbury, and Rowley, the Trojans defeated the Vikings 17-13. They will face the Nantucket Whalers on their home island off Cape Cod on either Sunday or Monday.
The skies over Harvard Park on Thursday matched the vibe of the game. Beginning with a “will-they-won’t-they” rain forecast and a score deficit in the first quarter, and ending with sunny skies, a consistent breeze, and a sure-footed lead for the Trojans, the game ended ideally for both home team players and spectators.
Clementine Roy (#22) and Joana Juliano (#26) keep the Triton forward away from their goal. (Photos by Lisa Aciukewicz)
Bromfield overcame repeated deficits and exploded offensively in the fourth quarter to defeat Triton. The Vikings controlled possession early and applied immediate pressure to Bromfield's defense. After an early save by goalkeeper and senior co-captain, Darrragh O'Connor, Bromfield struck first when sophomore Kate Wicks found the back of the net less than two minutes into the game to give the Trojans a 1-0 lead.
The advantage was short-lived. Triton responded with three unanswered goals, including a pair of penalty-shot conversions, to take a 3-1 lead by the end of the first quarter. O'Connor kept Bromfield within striking distance with several key saves, while the Trojans generated scoring opportunities that were turned away by Triton's goalkeeper.
Bromfield began to find its footing offensively in the second quarter. After several near misses, Wicks scored her second goal of the game to cut the deficit to 3-2. Triton answered with two more goals and appeared poised to take control with a 5-2 advantage.
Sophomore Kate Wicks escapes her blockers for a goal.
"My goal, when we're in situations like that, is to remind them who they are," said Head Coach Ali Wicks in a post-game interview. "We're here because of our passion for the game, our love for each other, and to keep our season going as long as possible. We really just had to calm down, remember who we are, and fix those little things."
After a timeout called by Bromfield, play resumed with junior Eliza Feltz sprinting through the midfield heading straight to goal with a quick shot, helping Bromfield close the gap to two goals at 5-3. Shortly afterward, a Triton player was issued a yellow card for unsafe play, creating a player advantage for the Trojans. When a yellow card is issued, the player with the penalty must leave the field and the team has to play ‘person down’ for two minutes. Senior co-captain Hannah Wicks capitalized on the opportunity, converting a free-position shot to pull Bromfield within one goal at 5-4 heading into halftime.
The momentum carried into the second half. According to senior co-captain Hannah Wicks, the team's biggest opponent wasn't Triton.
"Our last game of the regular season, we had a really tough time," she said. "It wasn't another team. It was us. We were getting mad at each other, getting mad at ourselves. We knew that was what we had to target. We got out of that by lifting each other up and being like a goldfish: just forgetting the moment. You make a mistake, it's okay, just move on to the next."
Kate Wicks (#15) receives congratulations from teammates on one of her many goals. From left: Claire Lackner, Eliza Feltz, Kate Wicks, Hannah Wicks, Ruby Cameron, Clementine Roy, and Joana Juliano.
Early in the third quarter, Hannah scored to tie the game at 5-5. Moments later, Bromfield grabbed its first lead since the opening minutes when sophomore Clementine Roy finished a scoring chance to put the Trojans ahead 6-5. Kate added another goal to stretch the lead to 7-5.
The Vikings answered with consecutive goals to knot the score at 7-7 before regaining the lead at 8-7. Bromfield responded each time the visitors surged ahead. Roy scored on a rebound to tie the game at 8-8, and Kate converted a penalty opportunity to restore a one-goal advantage at 9-8. The back-and-forth battle continued throughout the remainder of the quarter.
After senior co-captain Joana Juliano scored to put Bromfield ahead 10-9, Triton quickly responded to tie the game once more. The Vikings then took an 11-10 lead late in the quarter after capitalizing on several penalties and stoppages.
With the season potentially hanging in the balance, Bromfield delivered its strongest stretch of the game in the fourth quarter. Juliano said the team was able to capitalize when Triton was forced to play shorthanded following multiple yellow cards.
"We used that, and our energy, and turned that into something great," Juliano said. "Our mentality completely changed. We just knew that we wanted it."
The entire team clears the bench and rushes to congratulate goalie Darragh O’Connor (#34) for the team’s 17-13 win in their first playoff game against Triton.
Kate opened the scoring to tie the contest at 11-11, earning her the monumental achievement of her 100th goal of her career. Triton answered to regain a one-goal lead, but then after two more yellow card penalties, one served against the same player who received the card earlier in the game, resulting in her ejection, and an additional card that put the Vikings two people down, the Wick sisters combined on a key scoring sequence that gave Bromfield a 13-12 advantage.
From there, the Trojans played as breezily as the winds sweeping across the field. Roy scored and Juliano added another goal after a turnover deep in Triton territory. Bromfield's offense continued to challenge the opposing defense, producing two additional goals to build a commanding 17-12 lead. Triton managed one final score on a penalty shot, but the outcome was no longer in doubt.
The Trojans' season record now stands at 13-4 as they prepare for a road trip to face Nantucket, which enters the matchup at 16-2. Wicks said she is proud of how her team responded when adversity struck.
"They got in their heads at one point, but they pulled back out," she said. "They were able to make that mental turn and change how they were acting and how they were playing. I'm just so proud of them."